Day care programs in the Scandinavian countries have been viewed as exemplary models to transfer to Canada and the United States. This publication, which provides an overview of day care in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, discusses conditions, facts, and programs contributing to the widespread acclaim. It is pointed out that day care in Denmark is an…

Suggests that variations in the quality and type of infant care, in institutional and other settings in different cultures and social classes, can have influences on the long-term development of the child's rate, level, and type of cognitive development. (HOD)

Reflects upon experiences with the First Nations' Partnerships and the European Commission Child Care Network to argue that efforts to understand quality care have been insufficiently sensitive to socioecological and cultural factors related to defining and assessing quality. Argues for a reconceptualization of early childhood care, and presents…

This paper examines the experience of Caribbean countries in striving to achieve quality in early childhood development programs. Part 1 reviews the needs of developing children and the dimensions of quality in early childhood programs intended to meet those needs. Included in the discussion is the use of Developmentally Appropriate Practice…

This report, containing both English and Portuguese text, describes the historical background and current state of preschool education systems in Portugal, and presents recommendations on guideline consolidation in the implementation of a common preschool education policy. Part 1 of the report, "Historical Background," discusses the…

Noting that much is known from research and practice regarding what works to promote resilience of children and families in a variety of high-risk life situations, this book considers the impact of culture, economy, employment, poverty, family structure, and social policy on parenting, child development, education, and the life success of youth.…