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…

Compared family day care providers participating in training to providers who did not. Found that the two groups were very similar, that those who dropped out of training were less experienced and used fewer business and safety practices than those who completed it, and that training increased global quality, but not process quality, at two of…

Training is often difficult to acquire for family day care providers because most training initiatives are workshops or seminars, which require a specific time frame and which are frequently scattered and lack continuity. A practicum project developed and implemented one unit, or module, of a 13-module self-instructional training program using an…

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…

Noting the considerable variation in state child care licensing regulations, this packet provides data on states' training requirements for child care licensing. Contents of the packet are: (1) an introductory article, "Training Requirements in Child Care Licensing that Promote a Career Development Approach," which includes extensive…

At site visits to approximately 2,800 family day care homes in Texas, assessed indices of caregiver competency (attainment of high school diploma, attendance at training and orientation sessions, and participation in elective professional activities) and facility compliance to 116 Texas family day care standards. Found that increased caregiver…

Interviewed Canadian caregivers and other stakeholders about training for family child care providers, and what they see as key training issues. Suggested that training programs be made more available and accessible, but also more relevant. Suggested that standardized core content be embedded in an adult learning process focusing on real-world…

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 report contains the results of a nationwide survey of state regulatory agencies and is intended to update family day care licensing information gathered in 1990. In May 1991, the central regulatory agency in each of 50 states and the District of Columbia was asked to verify information gathered in the 1990 survey and answer further questions…

In July of 1997, Bank Street College of Education's Center for Family Support initiated a collaborative project to provide support to family, friends, and neighbors who care for other people's children. Five agencies participated in the project: the Center, Child Care, Inc., Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCO), Aquinas…

Examined family day care providers' views on training. Found that some providers view family day care as a professional service requiring training and providing a career path, whereas others view their services as an extension of their own home duties and oppose formalization of family day care through training. However, pay and status concerns…

Age-appropriate activities for children and curriculum guidelines for mothers operating family day care homes for infants and toddlers were developed with the goal of improving the quality of day care programming. Curriculum goals were to (1) facilitate children's achievement of self-identity and self-esteem; (2) provide an outlet for creative…

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,…

The results of a 1992 nationwide survey of state regulatory agencies that are presented in this report serve to update information on the licensing of family day care homes that was gathered in 1991. Terms relevant to family day care are defined; commonly asked questions about family day care are answered; and regulatory requirements for family…

California's Family Day Care Training Program was designed to recruit and train, in 7 weeks, Lao, Vietnamese, and Chinese refugees to establish their own state-licensed, family day care homes. Topics in the program's curriculum include an introduction to family day care, state licenses for family day care, state licensing requirements for family…