Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care is defined as regular, nonparental care provided by other than a licensed center, program, or family child care home. This study examined characteristics of Washington state children in FFN care, the characteristics and training of FFN caregivers, and views of policymakers and professionals regarding FFN…

Observed 81 caregivers from 24 urban centers interacting with 3- to 5-year olds. Interactions were categorized into negative/positive, language facilitation, concept promotion, and caregiving and cleaning-up domains. When all positive teacher interactions were combined, found that early childhood education/child development coursework accounted…

Beliefs about and attitudes toward child care were examined among 134 mothers, 55 child care providers, 46 kindergarten teachers, and 62 employers in 11 rural Missouri communities. Mothers were very satisfied with quality of child care services and degree of employer support. However, teachers felt that their students were less ready for school…

Examined attitudes of 76 Singaporean preschool teachers and supervisors regarding integrating young children with disabilities into mainstream preschool centers. Findings indicated that the majority of teachers were willing to consider integrating but voiced concerns about their abilities to cope on a daily basis without relevant information about…

This study examined early childhood caregivers' perceptions of the availability and quality of child care and examined the extent to which caregiver knowledge, training, experience, and motivation predicted judgments of quality and availability. Surveys were mailed to 292 licensed and registered family day care providers in Shelby County,…

Surveyed Australian child-care workers on job satisfaction. Found that although 80% indicated satisfaction with their job, 40% said they frequently thought of quitting. Found a past and projected turnover rate of about 30%; although workers' qualifications and skills base have increased significantly in the past decade, the accreditation process…

Examines caregiver attitudes toward toddler conflict and considers ways to facilitate conflict resolution to promote toddler growth, learning, and social development. Suggests that the ways caregivers intervene often do not promote resolution between children. Presents prevention and intervention strategies and discusses implications for practice…

Child care professionals in Hawaii were surveyed to assess health training needs. Respondents reported a high degree of comfort in managing common health conditions. The most commonly requested health services involved speech/language testing and vision/hearing screening. The most requested health/safety workshop topic was behavioral problems. The…

Examined relations of mother-caregiver communication about the child to the quality of caregiver-child and mother-child interactions for 53 mothers of 3-year-olds. Found that more mother-caregiver communication was significantly related to more sensitive and supportive caregiver-child interactions in child care. Mothers who engaged in more…

Presents results of survey that gathered feedback from agency administrators who employ child- and youth-care workers on the development of the child- and youth-care profession. Describes ideas and sources of support of this emerging profession, and outlines several areas where individuals and associations interested in its development might…

This study focused on creating a liaison between day care providers and college developmental psychology researchers with the intent that day care providers would be able to share discoveries and develop expertise in challenging infants appropriately to encourage development. The project was collaborated on by college students and faculty; the day…

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…

This study sought to determine if family child care providers and center caregivers: (1) seek training for different reasons; (2) hold varying opinions regarding the best source of training according to content area; (3) demonstrate differences in training content obtained; and (4) use different training sources for a variety of training topics.…

Examined relationships of child care provider education, presence of children from economically strained homes, and program structure to providers' self-perception, nurturance, and caregiving conditions in 36 licensed family day care homes. Found that when provider self-perceptions were high, but day care clients experienced economic strain, the…

Examined caregiver reading patterns with infants in metropolitan day care centers. Found effects for infant age, group size, and gender on caregiver's reading habits. Found that caregiver reading was quite brief for all ages and that caregivers found it easier to read to female than to male infants. Findings suggest the need for reading courses…