The Ottawa, Canada, Emergency Child Care Research Project examined the impact of emergency child-care service on individuals, families, and an Ottawa-based consortium; the effectiveness of emergency child-care service; and features and practices of consortium models in developing and providing human services. Findings indicated that emergency…

Explores two fundamental concerns reflected in the articles in this journal issue: (1) promoting a healthy balance of paid work and family responsibilities; and (2) developing new models to ensure that all families can receive appropriate child-care services in their communities. (Author/DLH)

Reviews the historical evolution of fatherhood and reflective consideration of men's and women's states of well-being. Reports that the Prosperes Project, a consortium of university, institutional, and community organizations in the Montreal region designed to improve paternal involvement, has suggestions for sustaining, enhancing, and reinforcing…

Calls for review of research on best practices in phonemic awareness training and direct-instruction reading programs. Suggests that a more effective approach to reading instruction is to integrate skills instruction with meaningful literacy experiences and to use writing to help children learn about written language, including phonemic awareness.…

Describes Louisell and Descamps's book as a resource to help teachers develop a philosophy of teaching. Considers organization and detail on topics to be adequate for reader engagement. Concludes that substantive omissions seriously limit value for preservice teachers and identifies as the volume's largest weakness its lack of current theory and…

Regards Poole's book for inservice and preservice teachers addressing questions about how, why, and when to use educational technology as well-organized and comprehensive. Notes a contradiction about the teacher's relationship to technology and pedagogy; highlights Poole's suggestions for addressing, on site, teachers' lack of knowledge about…

Reviews book on perspectives of social cognition and intergroup relations that extracts key elements of a successful remedy to prejudice and discrimination and offers recommendations for schools seeking to improve intergroup relations. Recommends Aboud's work as a supplemental text for students, researchers, and program designers to reduce…

Finds that Gottlieb et al.'s work provides an excellent overview of flexible work arrangements in a variety of work organizations for managers, human-resources professionals, and employees. Considers the work an excellent primer presenting useful information about alternative work arrangements, factors involved in work/family clashes,…

Investigated effects of duration of early peer experience on 46 children's adjustment to kindergarten. Found that children with medium (4,025-5,815 hours) or high duration (6,704-10,953 hours) of early peer experience were significantly better adjusted than children with low duration (1-3,167 hours). Chronological age and gender did not effect…

This study examined preliminary psychometric properties of the Teaching Practices Observation Scale (TPOS), a newly developed observational taxonomy for assessing teacher behaviors during free play with young children. Behaviors of 42 child caregivers and junior kindergarten teachers were coded using a combination of time-sampling, event-sampling,…

Three distinct periods mark the history of developmental psychology in Canada. Period 1 was dominated by cognitive developmental theorist, James Mark Baldwin. Period 2, defined by the Child Study Movement, began in the 1920s with Mental Hygiene Movement and founding of two child study centers. Period 3, started in the 1950s, focused on…

Examined the evolution of metalinguistic skills (phonological and syntactical awareness) of 46 French-speaking children from kindergarten to the end of first grade and the relationship between those abilities and text comprehension. Found that metalinguistic skills progressed significantly, and syntactical awareness (word counting ability and…

Examines research on sex differences in expectations regarding compliance-related behaviors and the resulting implications for early childhood practice. Identifies sex differences in problem-solving competence and the possible contribution of sex differences in compliance to and dependence on adults. Presents strategies to help preschoolers learn…

Discusses the positive relationship between 4-H programs and school-age care programs, advocating the use of 4-H programs as a model for care, or as a source of care, caregiver training, or curriculum. Notes the role of the Cooperative Extension System in training and supporting school-age care providers. (JPB)

Discusses a proposed study of the types of friendships and quality of friendships that exist among older children (ages 6 to 12) in after-school programs and the role of these programs in facilitating friendships. (JPB)