Examining over 20 years of research findings, including the most recent research on child care and child development, this book attempts to answer the three most important questions parents have about day care: Is day care harmful? Are babies damaged by the fact that their mothers work? and, Are working parents, by being absent during most of the…

This study compares affiliative and attachment behaviors of nontraditional fathers who are their infant's primary caregivers, secondary caregiving fathers, and primary and secondary caregiving mothers. Subjects were 28 mobile infants and their middle-class American parents. In half of the families, the father was the primary caregiver; in the…

Noting that research and clinical findings confirm the connection to later emotional well-being of a secure attachment between each infant or young child and a warm, stable adult, this book addresses aspects of attachment important for caregivers of infants and toddlers. The book focuses on those aspects of attachment caregivers need to understand…

Noting that millions of young American children are at-risk because they have been denied bonding and communication with a caring adult, this book serves as a call for national attention and provides a guide for developing the parenting skills needed by today's parents and child caregivers. The book contends that caregivers' qualifications must…

Children need loving bonds with caring adults to develop trusting relationships, solid self-esteem, and a readiness to learn. This book draws on caregivers' personal experience, as well as interviews and conversations, and questionnaires completed by child care providers to explore the issue of love in child care settings and how family child care…

Child care and early education have been acclaimed by advocates in Great Britain and the United States as the key to economic and academic success, the basis for social justice and equality, a business opportunity, and the remedy for poverty, welfare dependency, crime, and educational failure. This book examines the research basis for these…

In honor of the contributions of Greta G. Fein to the fields of developmental psychology and early childhood education, a community of scholars prepared this volume to explore how social play arises, social play's developmental and educational significance, and the ways in which social play can be promoted in early childhood settings. In addition,…

One of the biggest changes in the lives of children in the United States is the increasing number of infants and toddlers who are cared for outside the home during work hours. This book provides a compilation of information and discussions from a meeting of the National Center for Early Development and Learning, held annually to convene experts…