We examined the role of the teacher-child relationship quality (close, dependent, and conflictive) on preschoolers' (N = 95) academic readiness for kindergarten, and we tested children's prosocial and aggressive behavior and peer group exclusion as mediators of this relation. A unique feature of this study is the ethnically and socio-economically diverse preschool-aged sample. The association between close teacher-child relationships and academic readiness was partially mediated by prosocial behavior and peer group exclusion. There was also evidence of a transactional association between close teacher-child relationships and children's behavior. Additionally, children's behavior and peer group exclusion mediated the relation between negative teacher-child relationships (dependent and conflictive) and academic readiness. The findings suggest that teacher training, education, and support for establishing close teacher-child relationships may maximize preschoolers' academic readiness by promoting social adaptation. Keywords Teacher-child relationship; Preschool; Academic readinessIdentifying the contributors to young children's readiness for school is crucial to promoting positive academic experiences. The importance of this is highlighted by the fact that children who are not ready to do well in school are more likely to evidence later school adjustment problems, including school dropout and delinquency (Alexander, Entwisle, & Kabbani, 2001;Ensminger & Slusarcick, 1992). Although a large proportion of children transition from preschool into kindergarten successfully, a significant number are not ready to meet the demands of formal schooling. For instance, using a national sample of kindergarten teachers, Rimm-Kaufman, Pianta, and Cox (2000) found that over one-third of the teachers indicated that approximately half the students who entered kindergarten not only experienced difficulty following directions and working independently, but also exhibited diminished academic skills.To understand the factors that influence early school readiness, it is important to consider children's relationships with their teachers. Research has shown that teachers have a significant influence on young children's school readiness and adjustment, such that children who experience warmer or closer teacher-child relationships tend to have fewer behavior problems, like school more, and perform better academically than do children who experience more conflicted or dependent teacher-child relationships (e.g., Birch & Ladd, © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author: francisco.palermo@asu.edu (F. Palermo). Hamre & Pianta, 2001;Hughes, Cavell, & Jackson, 1999;Pianta, Steinberg, & Rollins, 1995). However, little attention has been given to the processes by which the qualities of the teacher-child relationships (i.e., close, dependent, or conflictive) relate to young children's school adjustment. A focus on process is critical to developing useful working models that can guide both future research and practice ...

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This study examined the combined and unique contributions of home, teacher, and peer English exposure levels on Spanish-speaking preschoolers' (N = 107) English receptive and expressive vocabulary skills. The combined levels of English exposure during the fall of preschool were positively associated with children's English receptive and expressive vocabulary skills in the spring. Furthermore, English exposure levels at home were uniquely and positively associated with children's English receptive and expressive vocabularies, whereas peer English exposure levels were uniquely and positively associated with children's English expressive vocabulary. Teachers' English exposure levels were not uniquely associated with children's English vocabulary. The findings highlight the importance of the home environment and peer experiences in the classroom for maximizing Spanish-speaking children's early English vocabulary skills.Language-minority (LM) students comprise approximately 21% of all students in the United States and face unique academic challenges (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2010). Because instruction is conducted only in English in most US schools, LM children need to learn enough English to comprehend their teachers' instructions, engage with classroom content, and participate in classroom discussions before they can begin learning academic skills such as