The present study explored the association between the structural quality of child care, caregivers' sensitive responsiveness, children's involvement in play and activity in the setting, and children's expression of aggression. Eighty-four early childhood care settings were classified into either high (29) or low structural quality (55) based on…

Learn how to create and nurture communities of care for diverse children, families, and practitioners through responsive practice. In this text, the social and emotional worlds of babies and toddlers, their peers, and their caregivers come to life in the everyday moments of infant-toddler care and education. The authors show infants and toddlers…

Undertaking infant-toddler practicum during initial teacher education is critical to ensuring preservice teachers (PSTs) are well prepared for their future role as early childhood teachers. PSTs, however, can face challenges in infant-toddler practicum given the demands of this unique teaching and learning context. A knowledgeable, experienced…

The current study examined the effect of a friend's presence on toddlers' behavior in high child-to-staff-ratio daycare settings. Toddlers (N = 38) were video-observed in the presence or absence of a verified friend in two situations that burden staff: morning separation and lunchtime (overall, 152 video observations). Higher levels of positive…

We examined the pathway from grandparental childcare support at age 3 to child social and emotional outcomes at age 7 through maternal mental health and mother-child relationship at age 3 in a sample of n = 1495 biological mothers and their children from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Structural equation modelling showed that time spent in the…

Young children's use of their Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) environment affordances, and especially the affordances of the floor, is an under researched area, both in Greece and internationally. This paper draws on findings from an ethnographic case study research conducted in Greece and presents an account of children's…

The development of social-emotional skills is crucial in early childhood. Behavior problems in early childhood are risk factors for difficulties throughout childhood and adolescence and beyond. Considering the importance of developing social and emotional skills during early childhood, this study introduced the Papilio-3to6 program into everyday…

A pioneer in the infant/family field in the United States, Magda Gerber was the founding director of Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE), known for its unique two-generation approach to the care and education of young children. This paper offers a summary of Gerber's teachings from the late twentieth century with citations pointing to their…

Children experience the most rapid rate of development during the first three years of life. It is well understood that high-quality learning experiences that begin early in life can promote young children's development and help reduce achievement gaps. The purpose of this literature review is to review the research on supporting access to quality…

This paper presents a study of learning experiences in peer conflicts among two- and three-year-olds in Dutch daycare centres. Data were collected from individual sampling of 96 children during their free play. As in earlier studies, the results we obtained showed that three-year-olds used fewer unilateral strategies and more bilateral strategies…

With the aim of deepening understanding of young children's identity construction, the study explores small stories produced in a Finnish day care center context. Small stories are understood as identity-constituting social practices that occur and recur in day care settings. Taking ideas on narrative ethnography as starting point, research…

Research Findings: Three infants were followed over the course of 9 months from their last semester in their infant classroom through their transition to a toddler classroom at a university-based child care center. Using participant observation, video observation, and teacher interview, we qualitatively constructed and analyzed profiles of each…

Researchers, educators, professional organizations, administrators, parents, and policy makers have increased their involvement in the assessment and evaluation of early childhood education programs. This interest has developed swiftly during the last decades. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National…

This article examines how very young children in a day care center make use of their peers' gaze shifts to differentially locate and prepare for the possibility of a caregiver intervention during situations of their biting, hitting, pushing, and the like. At issue is how the visible character of a gaze shift--that is, the manner in which it is…

The present study aimed to explore social origins of peer interactions from the perspective of attachment theory. After five months of experience in child care, 34 infants averaging 15 months of age were videotaped with their peers during free play in the group without care providers involved. Four types of interactional tendencies, i.e. contact…