This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series focuses on the ethical dilemmas encountered by those working in early childhood services in Australia. The booklet details some common ethical dilemmas and contains the text of the AECA Code of Ethics. The booklet includes background information on the code,…

Interviewed 24 early-childhood service managers to study impact of government regulations on daily practices within a range of early-childhood services in southwest England. Found that the majority of respondents considered government regulations to be related to meeting minimum standards rather than to quality assurance and were confused about…

Despite rising demand for high-quality child care, the norm for early childhood staff is low salaries, few benefits, and difficult working conditions. This article provides an overview of compensation of early childhood professionals, and describes some state and local initiatives that address the need for funding and policies that support a…

Describes a group called the Southern Arizona Early Childhood Network, an eclectic collection of leaders invested in the well-being of young children, including directors, child care advocates, health care providers, teacher educators, teachers, and agency personnel. Discusses how the group serves as a forum to share information, experiences,…

The concepts, causes, and issues surrounding maternal guilt have significant implications for early childhood professionals. Child care providers can assist parents in choosing appropriate child care; promote positive communication and rapport with parents; reassure parents that maternal anxiety is normal; promote understanding of the concept of…

Compared self-evaluation of quality of preschool teachers in Sweden to the evaluation by an external evaluator using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Found moderately high percent agreement between teachers and evaluator and among teachers at the same unit. Found highest agreement among teachers on socialization and communication.…

Argues that collaboration between Head Start and early intervention programs can improve accessibility to high quality child care and supports needed to reach and maintain self-sufficiency for low-income families of children with disabilities. Discusses how these systems can develop trusting collaborative relationships, increase affordability of…

This study examined the assumption that all caregivers have a set of beliefs which represent their own underlying theory of child development and tested one strategy for identifying the beliefs that preschool caregivers hold. In order to classify caregivers' beliefs about children's social development, an adaptation of McGillicudy-DeLisi's (1992)…

This study examined the relationship between day care center size and child care workers' level of job commitment and job satisfaction. Surveys were completed by 128 teachers and aides who worked full-time in non-profit child care centers in the Chicago metropolitan area. The results of the data analysis revealed that there was not a statistically…

A 44-item questionnare was sent to 11,000 Child Development Associates in the fall of 1988 in an effort to provide an updated view of the constituency served by the Child Development Association (CDA) National Credentialing Program. The questionnaire covered four categories: (1) background information; (2) education and experience; (3) training…

This paper examines the life-span approach to developmental psychology as it relates to teacher development research and presents some empirical results demonstrating the potential of the approach for increasing understanding of teacher development. Five assumptions of the life-span orientation as applied to the study of teacher development are…

Research concerning the Child Development Associate (CDA) program at the Pennsylvania State University aims to define more carefully the characteristics of the adult learners enrolled in CDA training, delineate the characteristics and process of training, and broaden the scope of outcome variables studied. To address this third aim, a series of…

Designed primarily to assist instructors offering courses for early childhood personnel, the material in this resource book conceptualizes field trips as a total learning experience requiring careful planning for specified information to be learned. The material is divided into three units, each with a different focus. The first unit provides a…

Held in London in 1980, a series of three seminars entitled "Training for Work with Under Fives" was organized, followed in l981 by a conference on the same topic. The object of these meetings was to obtain information about and to examine issues relating to the various teacher training courses in existence. Seminars dealt with major…

For early childhood educators a cognitive approach to stress therapy is a valuable supplement to other approaches. Early childhood educators, like others, may develop psychological vulnerabilities that contribute to stress and depression. An exaggerated need for approval or an unhealthy demand for perfectionism may contribute to their experience…