Describes how chaos theory can be used to understand the nature of quality in early care and education settings. Reviews research on quality and quality initiatives, noting challenges to such quality enhancement initiatives. Details an application of the tenets of chaos theory to early care and educational settings, and includes recommendations…

Examined 12 child caregivers' ability to articulate their beliefs concerning teacher practice, and personal and professional influences related to those beliefs. Found that 33 percent of teachers' rationales focused on children's socio-emotional development, 10 percent on cognitive development, and 6 percent on language development. Teachers with…

Home- and center-based child caregivers were randomly assigned to training and control groups. Caregivers who received training on inclusion attended group meetings and observed either live, or videotaped, on-site demonstrations. Caregivers who received training scored significantly higher on an observation scale and self-rating questionnaire than…

This case study recorded and analyzed, during a primary prevention program in an urban day care center, the process of emotional socialization in two 4-year-old children considered at risk for academic failure. It isolated and described influential factors in emotional socialization, described changes in social skills and emotional expression, and…

This study of 16 Singapore child care centers found that children spent most of their time engaged in adult-led group, cognitive, and daily routine activities. Findings also suggest that good quality centers offer a variety of cognitively stimulating activities, such as literacy activities, academic and problem-solving tasks, and verbal…

Investigated relationship of preschoolers' helping behaviors and their younger peer-directed internal state language, perspective-taking, and attendance at mixed-age day care. Found that helping behaviors were positively related to frequency of vocal turns to younger peer, perspective-taking ability, and length of day care attendance;…

Used the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Early Childhood Work Environment Survey to identify workplace predictors of burnout in 137 female child-care providers in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Found that age, decision making, and goal consensus were the only significant predictors of burnout, suggesting the need to balance the freedom of persons to make…

Studied differences in food intake, waste, and time required for eating when young children are served by preportioned or family-style food service. Found intake of children fed family style was significantly greater, and no significant differences were found in the mean portions of waste or in the time required to eat. (Author)

Reviews current thinking about the optimal organization and delivery of child care and other family support programs, focusing on how child care services in selected Canadian provinces and other countries have been coordinated with other services. Presents theoretical and conceptual frameworks informing current thinking about organization and…

Examined views of Singapore parents from eight day care centers towards day care quality and used the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale to compare parental and professional views of quality. Found that parents rated care and safety provisions as more important than educational programs and almost half the parents selected centers based on…

Describes the design and findings of the Victoria Day Care Research Project. Concludes that early day care experiences and family environments were associated with verbal abilities in early childhood and with competencies in early and late adolescence. Found that children from higher-resource families were most likely to have higher-quality day…

Maintains that Baxter and Read's book deals with controversial and contentious issues in a proactive manner and effectively challenges and stimulates attitudes, beliefs, and approaches to working with children with special needs. Notes that the use of labels shows how entrenched professionals have become in a deficit-oriented model to describe…

Reviews literature on how exemplary child care services in Europe, the United States, and selected Canadian provinces have been planned, organized, and coordinated with other child and family support services, and with education, recreation, and public health services. (JPB)

Reviews Bassett's work intended to provide information to people training to be caregivers to infants and young children. Notes the clear presentation, wide coverage, and skill checklists. Recommends the book for parents and infant and child caregivers. (JPB)

Two studies determined nutrition practices of informal child caregivers and assessed the feasibility of providing a public-health nutrition-education program for these caregivers. Responses quantified interest in nutrition and feeding topics and preferred formats and times for such a program. (DLH)