Sixty-five parent--infant dyads were observed reading an unfamiliar book at home. Parents' use of language-stimulating and emotionally rich reading styles was measured via a specially developed Book Sharing Scale for Infants. Aspects of child temperament were assessed by the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire [Bates, J. E., Freeland, C. A. B.,…

In an English sample of 1016 families, use of childcare was investigated at 3, 10, 18 and 36 months. Child behaviour problems and social competence were assessed at 36 months by maternal questionnaire. There was no effect of the amount or type of childcare on disruptive behaviour at 36 months, the main predictors being maternal minority ethnic…

The quality of care offered in four different types of non-parental child care to 307 infants at 10 months old and 331 infants at 18 months old was compared and factors associated with higher quality were identified. Observed quality was lowest in nurseries at each age point, except that at 18 months they offered more learning activities. There…

This paper investigates non-maternal infant care in the first year of life, examining the relationships between child care ideals, attitudinal, sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of mothers at three months postpartum and their child care experiences at 10 months. Predictors of child care use, satisfaction with non-maternal care and…

Reviews studies of the kinds of play that influence the cognitive development, problem solving, and imagination of children. Adults' roles in children's play are discussed. (CI)

Discusses trends in early child development (ECD) programs. Considers future trends in evaluation research in terms of seven prototype designs expected to be widely used in the 1990s. Examines recent developmental theory and its implications for evaluating ECD programs. Lists principles that ECD programs need to follow if they are to convince…

Examined the context of class activities and teacher/child interaction in 10 preschool centers in Bahrain. Found that children at educationally-oriented centers played more at cognitively challenging tasks and engaged in more dialog with others than counterparts at care-oriented centers. In general, children were more likely to engage in…

Studied effects of care-oriented, educationally oriented, and home preschool settings in Bahrain on 140 children's cognitive and socioemotional performance. Found significant advantage in language, memory, vocabulary, counting, and conceptual maturity for preschool care; and for children's self-esteem, self-confidence, and emotional conduct in…

Examined effects of the day care environment on Singaporean preschoolers in 16 day care centers as assessed by the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Found that day care quality as measured by the total score and specific subscales was related to children's language development, especially verbal fluency. Effects were evident even when…