Used data from a family child care study and a licensing study to identify dimensions best predicting global day care quality in over 300 child care homes. Found that caregiver training most consistently predicted global quality. Found no reliable association between care quality and child-caregiver ratio or age-weighted group size recommendations…

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…

Surveyed in-home child caregivers and employers about their child care environments. Found that the caregivers were mostly young, well-educated, hard-working, committed; typically, they showed child-related coursework in high school and were poorly compensated. Parents employing the caregivers were relatively affluent and satisfied with in-home…

Examined associations among infant caregivers' training and the quality of care they provide. Found through observation and rating of 50 Caucasian female caregivers that as infant caregiver training levels increased, so did mean scores on some dimensions of quality, such as personal care routines and learning activities. (EV)

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…

The use of the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in combination with other funding has been an important factor in the development of initiatives to expand and improve child care services in rural areas. Based on their personal knowledge, a technical advisory group and experts recommended states with innovative, unique, and successful…

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,…

Argues that continuous training is important for improving the quality of day-care provision. Social learning theory is used to examine David A. Kolb's experiential learning model as an approach to training day-care providers. Concludes that attention must also be given to the creation of conditions under which experiential learning can be…

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…

Evaluated the impact of training and experience on the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of AmeriCorps child-care volunteers in North Carolina. Found that Corps members completed successful training, but, after nine months of service, showed a decline in the appropriateness of their interactions with children. (JS)

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 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.…

This study by the Scottish Executive examined attainment of Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) (types of educational qualifications) by child care providers in Scotland, noting the perceptions of key participants. The study had five key objectives: (1) to determine levels of uptake and, if possible,…

A sample of 81 caregivers in 24 urban centers was observed in interactions with preschool children ages 3 to 5. Observation centered on the domains of positive and negative socioemotional inputs, language facilitation, concept promotion, and caregiving and cleaning up (of children and of environment). The teachers provided responses to questions…

This report contains the results of a nationwide survey of state and territorial regulatory agencies. The purpose of the study was to gather information on day care center licensing and regulation. In May 1991, questionnaires were sent to the central day care regulatory agency in each of 53 states and territories. In an introductory section of the…