Describes Pennsylvania's comprehensive child day care and early childhood development training system, focusing on the Early Childhood Education Linkage System (ECELS) and its immunization initiative. The initiative was established to improve the overall immunization status of all children in child day care in the state. (MDM)

Identified factors related to the recruitment, training, and retention of family child care (FCC) providers in two rural communities who participated in an FCC training program. Findings point to the relative success of efforts to recruit and train high quality family child care providers and the relative difficulty of retaining these providers…

Discusses the reasons why children are involved in court proceedings and the effects of the experience on their well-being, especially for children who are victims or witnesses to criminal activity, violence, and abuse. Drop-in child day care is discussed as a possible program model to support families and counteract the risks to children. (MDM)

Describes a program for new immigrants from the former Soviet Union run by the Jewish Child Care Association of New York. It is designed to buffer some of the stressors confronting the new immigrants, act as a bridge between cultures, and facilitate employment or vocational training of immigrant parents. (MDM)

Examined the out-of-school time of children between the ages of four and seven who were enrolled in Head Start and school transition programs. Found that watching television, playing, and spending time with friends were children's major activities during their out-of-school time. (MDM)

Discusses policy and program innovations in toddler day care and family support services in Europe, focusing on educational opportunities in Denmark, France, Italy, Finland, Sweden, and England. Reviews the implications of these innovations for toddler day care and family support services in the United States. (MDM)

Discusses the School of the 21st Century model for school-based and school-linked service provision, which has been implemented in over 300 schools to provide high-quality services to children from birth through age 12. Includes preliminary results of a three-year outcome evaluation of one program. (MDM)

Argues that collaborative models of service integration embedded in a policy perspective will have a positive impact on all children from birth to the start of kindergarten, a group for which there is no single recognized system for the delivery of early childhood care and education. (MDM)

Uses transcripts to present two very different approaches to helping children remember rules, reflecting very different sociomoral atmospheres that will influence children's development positively or negatively. Explores grouptime, decision making, and conflict resolution as they occur in constructivist classrooms characterized by mutual respect…

Notes the dangers of "generic" early childhood curricula. Draws on a teacher's journal to describe letting preschoolers build their own learning from "natural" learning materials--including plastic and cardboard pipes, palm branches, buckets, chains and pulleys--and how the teacher supported their growth. (HTH)

Describes a primary classroom in which students are permitted to work independently in a constructivist, predominantly child-driven environment. Includes a short interview with the classroom teacher elaborating on this active learning atmostphere. (HTH)

Discusses strategies the government should employ to end violence in the streets: create a Peace Officer Corps, reduce demand for drugs, reduce the prevalence of domestic violence and of child abuse and neglect, reduce violence on television and in movies, and reduce and regulate possession of handguns. (HTH)

Presents revised version of 1987 statement, which emphasized that the provision of high-quality early childhood programs depends upon three basic needs being met: high-quality programming for children, equitable compensation for staff, and affordable services for families or other consumers. (HTH)

Notes that the differences between infant/toddler care and preschool care have been ignored in all but the best programs and day care homes. Examines child care policies and practices from the perspective of their influence on infant/toddler identity formation, including continuity of care and curricula that are responsive rather than…

Explores the impact of sensitive caregiver relationships on a child's emotional, social, and cognitive development. Includes suggestions for emphasizing such relationships in early childhood programs, including planning routines and activities that focus on relationships. (HTH)