Summer is a great chance that can cheer up our souls and refresh our minds. We hope everyone lets worries and stress go away this summer and enjoy every minute of it. This edition includes several interesting topics, including: a brief overview of Zurich Longitudinal Studies (ZLS), several KIT findings,  a feature on Prof. Hawjeng Chiou at the Department of Business Administration, National Taiwan Normal University, and a book review of Goodnight Moon, a storybook written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd about a bunny lying in bed saying goodnight to all the familiar things in the room.
Also, there are two recent KIT events to share with: "KIT Viewpoints" available on YouTube since March and a press release in April announcing KIT latest findings. "KIT Viewpoints" (https://shorturl.at/asvIP), a five-episode series, is a collaboration between the KIT and Dr. Tsung-Ning Huang that profiles some important results on child health and development. The full article of the KIT press release titled ‘Helping Taiwanese Children Cultivate Strong Emotional Skills - Insights From “Kids in Taiwan: National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care” (KIT)’ has been published on the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology at https://shorturl.at/jnt37.

Zurich Longitudinal Studies (ZLS)
Zurich Longitudinal Studies (ZLS), one of the world's earliest longitudinal research projects, comprises several cohort studies conducted in Switzerland. The initial project, known as ZLS-1, was launched by Zurich Children's Hospital in 1954, tracking 445 infants from birth to adulthood. It primarily focused on collecting data related to their physical health, physical motor development, psychological and social well-being, as well as their environment. The third ZLS cohort study that began in the 1970s included 327 children of ZLS-1 participants. In the early 2000s, Zurich Longitudinal Studies stopped but were revived in 2017. Participants from all three cohorts have been invited to rejoin the project, allowing researchers to explore their current health and development in later adulthood, which enables a better understanding of which aspects of life in childhood and adolescence correlate with their current life. Please visit https://reurl.cc/mD0E89. for more information about ZLS.

Highlight of KIT Findings
Physical activities play a crucial role in children's development. Since 2013, the Ministry of Education has required that kindergartens include a minimum of 30 minutes of gross motor activities in their daily curriculum for children, as outlined in the Indicators for Assessment of Preschools. In this section, we will delve into the data gathered through the Educarer Questionnaire by KIT to gain insights into the frequency of physical activities for children in the 36-month and 3-month-old age groups within kindergartens. Additionally, we will examine the availability and utilization of equipment for gross motor activities.

1. Frequency of physical activities for children.
   In the KIT Educarer Questionnaire, there were six response categories, ranging from "Never provided" to "7 times or more per week (more than once per day)," with each time representing an average of at least 30 minutes per week. Data from KIT indicates that the majority of respondents reported conducting such activities "5-6 times per week", such as ball games, running, etc.
2. Availability and utilization of equipment for gross motor activities.
   Response options ranged from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree" on a four-point scale. One of the items inquired about the provision of a variety of gross motor activity equipment (both indoor and outdoor), such as balance equipment, swings, slides, climbing structures, ball games, and ride-on toys. Data from KIT reveals that the majority of kindergartens were rated as "Strongly agree", which indicates that these kindergartens provide a variety of gross motor activity equipment, including three or more types, and the educarers frequently encourage children to use these devices.

Based on KIT data, the 3-month-old group has a higher frequency of weekly engagement compared to the 36-month-old group in terms of physical activities for young children. This difference reaches statistical significance, indicating a growing emphasis on physical activities in Taiwanese kindergartens. However, when it comes to the provision and utilization of gross motor activity equipment, the differences between the two groups, 3 months and 36 months old, do not reach statistical significance.
Note: The 36-month-old group is approximately three years older than the 3-month-old group. Data collection for the 36-month-old group began in March 2016 and was completed in April 2017. On the other hand, the 3-month-old group started their investigation in March 2019 and completed data collection in July 2020.

About Prof. Hawjeng Chiou
Prof. Hawjeng Chiou, a statistical expert from Taiwan, holds the position of Distinguished Professor in the Department of Business Administration and is currently a joint-appointment professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at National Taiwan Normal University. He also serves on the boards of various institutes and organizations, including the Taiwan Association for Institutional Research, the Chinese Association of Psychological Testing, and the Taiwan Association of Statistical Methodology, among others.
Prof. Chiou is a prolific author, having published hundreds of journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters both domestically and internationally. He has authored dozens of academic books and has received numerous honors, including the Special Outstanding Talent Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Outstanding Monograph Award from National Taiwan Normal University, and the Award for Excellent Educators in Taiwan.
With profound knowledge and extensive research experience in psychometrics, multivariate statistics, human resource management, and organizational behavior, Prof. Chiou's teaching style is lively. He excels at using examples to deliver lectures in an approachable manner, making him a respected educator. Many statistical experts in Taiwan were once his students.
Prof. Chiou also provides invaluable support to KIT by supplying statistical analysis consultations, assisting the research team in dealing with longitudinal data. Furthermore, he offers guidance and assistance to researchers interested in utilizing KIT data for their studies through his course titled 'Longitudinal Data Analysis' at NTNU.

Book Review
Goodnight Moon  is a picture book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd about a little rabbit saying goodnight to all the familiar objects in its bedroom and the surrounding environment. Combining a repetitive and soothing language and colorful illustrations, the book is a perfect bedtime read for young children. Its English version is available at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0064430170), and readers can find its Chinese version at Books.com.tw (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010892200). Click https://youtu.be/zxXdaDXQcLQ?si=c2E6nrhm-EyyBIuv to listen.