Changes in distress and problem behaviors of 38 infants/toddlers were examined after children transitioned from familiar to new classrooms to look at effects of non-continuity of caregiver. Child's age, classroom quality, teacher sensitivity, and transitioning with a peer were examined as possible mediators. Results suggest that transitions were…

It is widely accepted that high quality child care enhances children's cognitive and social development, but some question whether what constitutes quality care depends on the child's ethnic and cultural background. To address this question, secondary analysis of data from the two largest studies of child care experiences in the United States,…

This study compared how parents in Germany and the United States perceive the quality of early childhood education services received by their children. In both countries, parents indicated high importance for the aspects measured in the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Parents assigned substantially higher quality scores to their…

Explored practices around transitioning infants/toddlers to new classes. Responses to mail survey indicated that relatively few programs provided caregiver continuity. Most programs considered attainment of developmental milestones, age, and available space when making transition decisions for infants/toddlers. Most centers used a few practices to…

Examined relations between structural and process quality in preschool classrooms across four countries. Structural quality variables included classroom, center, wage, and regional characteristics. Found differences in levels of structural variables used in the different countries, although many of the same structural features affected process…

Compared parents' perceptions of child care quality to those of researchers. Found that parents highly valued all aspects of care, especially interactions, health, and safety. Parents rated the quality of their children's care significantly higher than did observers. Quality scores differed greatly when parental values increased, and smaller…

This study examined the structure of child care classrooms and centers to predict process quality. Costs and quality of early childhood center-based care in four states with varying levels of regulation were analyzed to identify characteristics of the teacher, classroom, director, and center related to child care quality. Findings suggest the need…

Examined early childhood programs, using Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale and Caregiver Interaction Scale. Found Austria and Germany had better environment scores than Spain; Austria better than United States; Austria and Spain had higher interaction scores than United States; United States had highest standard deviations. Found two…