This study investigated the association between the nature of parent-caregiver relationships and child behavior and examined the parent-caregiver relationship as a social support. A total of 120 parents of 2-year-olds who used child care at least 20 hours a week were randomly selected. Participants were asked to complete a survey that included a…

In the United States, the family is regarded as primarily responsible for financing the education and care of children under age 5 as well as the education of offspring in postsecondary education, with the intervening years of education publicly funded and considered the responsibility of society at large. This paper describes the student…

Teachers serving children with disabilities in the regular preschool environment face challenges working within the typical small group instructional framework while systematically targeting specific skill acquisition goals. This paper describes a model integrated preschool/daycare program that uses a matrix-type process for determining the most…

This study investigated the gross motor development of children at two day care centers, one with a movement-oriented physical education program and the other with an unstructured free play period. Also studied were the biological factors of age and sex. A total of 146 children were tested during a 3-year period. During the last two years,…

Examples are provided in this discussion to indicate the nature of professional judgment in a teaching situation likely to be encountered by most child care workers or preschool teachers. Specifically, this predicament involves a problem in turn taking among 4-year-olds. As used here, the term "professional judgment" refers to cognitive…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the composite caregiver and child behavior variables used in the analysis of the data collected in the National Day Care Home Study: a three-year survey of day care homes in the United States. First, most frequently occurring behaviors are indicated. Then, the factor analyses of patterns of behaviors which…

This discussion focuses on elements of children's immediate experience that influence their food preferences. Some evidence suggests that there may be sensitive periods early in life that are critical for the formation of food preferences and aversions. Additionally, the familiarity and the sweetness of foods appear to be important determinants of…

This paper on delivery systems for preparing and training early childhood educators focuses on three main topics: (1) adequacy of delivery systems and access; (2) market influences on delivery systems; and (3) linking preparation and professional development components. Questions addressed include the following: Would the current preparation and…

Forum participants met to assess Connecticut's progress in providing services to 4-year-olds and their families, and to discuss the relationship between young children and public schools. Discussion explored these questions: (1) What are the roles and responsibilities of public schools in supporting 4-year-olds and their families? (2) What do high…

Using the same approach of family involvement and empowerment that has guided Head Start, Early Head Start offers its services to pregnant women and children, birth to age 3. One of the characteristics that differentiates Early Head Start from traditional Head Start is the mandate to offer full-day, full-year services to infants and toddlers. The…

There is an increasing demand for expanded services for preschool children. Attention is now focused on many issues related to the goals and content of such programs, including appropriate settings and age of populations served. In the past, U.S. programs for children of preschool age have included kindergartens stressing educational development,…

The general problem addressed in this survey is the identification of the management training needs of day care center directors. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to 102 directors of full time, pre-school day care centers in Baltimore City. The directors' answers were tabulated and simple percentages were computed. Directors were asked to…

Despite the growing need for child day care, the absence of federal regulation of child care centers gives individual states great authority in licensing care. Since states are the final authority concerning day care licensing, the quality of care varies from state to state. This study determined the extent to which current child care standards in…

Sign Talk Development Project (STDP) is a four-pronged project that grows out of needs identified through the program of Sign Talk Children's Centre (STCC). STCC is a bilingual/bicultural day care for children of deaf parents in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The center offers programming in two languages, American Sign Language (ASL) and English; and in two…

Children today are entering day care at younger ages than earlier generations, prompting concern at the differences between day care and home environments. This paper considers the infant classroom in a day care setting, discussing methods of teaching and learning designed to promote authentic learning in a natural educational environment.…