Examines progress being made in South Africa to bring quality child care to the nation's children. Describes recent government efforts to develop an interim policy for early childhood development, review accreditation standards, and build the capacity of governmental and nongovernmental organizations to develop early childhood programs. Describes…

Describes the process of designing and building a playground for 3- to 6-year-olds in Brazil. Describes how the playground design incorporated recommendations of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Handbook for Public Safety," how local materials were obtained, and how funding was secured. (KB)

Articles in recent periodicals are reviewed. These articles concern (1) the education of children in poverty; (2) the exposure of children to violence in and out of school; (3) recommendations for the Head Start program for the 1990s; and (4) child care in Germany after reunification. (BC)

Used Smilansky and Parten/Piaget play measures to assess social class and sex differences in Singapore preschoolers' play at home and preschool centers. Found that parallel and functional play were higher at home than in centers and associative/cooperative play was higher in centers than homes. Smilansky scores were higher at centers than homes,…

Examines nonprofit child care in the United States and its role in various other nations. Focuses on the legal status of various types of for-profit and nonprofit U.S. centers and centers in Canada, Russia, Namibia, Malaysia, Sweden, Uruguay, Croatia, Japan, Australia, Hungary, Kenya, Singapore, Lithuania, Bangladesh, and Tanzania. (KB)

The effects of cooperation between day care personnel and parents were assessed in two stages. First, action research in three experimental day care centers and two control groups created and evaluated a cooperative program. Second, the results of the research were implemented as an intervention program supporting home education in family day care…

Expresses concern that objectives for early childhood education and child care are not being met because specialized services for children have become more and more divided from each other. (Author/DB)

Surveyed parents of children attending an Australian day care center about attitudes toward the different roles of care and education in day care services. Found that parents of both older and younger children expected a substantial component of education in the day care program and a reasonable level of professionalism and qualifications in the…

In the Netherlands, there is growing interest in the day care and education of young children, stemming from the increase in culturally different, multilingual pupils in recent years and the understanding that the first 2 years of primary education form the basis for a successful school career. This position paper of the Ministry of Education,…

There has been concern in New Zealand about whether the level and pace of licensing and chartering Pacific Islands early childhood centers (PIECCs) are sufficient to meet current needs. This study identified obstacles to the attainment of licensed and chartered status as assessed by key informants from agencies working with Pacific Islands…

Studies effects of public day care on 119 children 1-8 years old. Time of entrance into day care predicted cognitive and socioemotional development. Children in day care before age 1 were generally rated more favorably and performed better than did children with late entrance or home care. (RJC)

Drawing on longitudinal followups of Head Start children, cross-cultural data from Denmark, and studies of gifted and talented persons, this article advises parents that out-of-home care need not be harmful to their children. However, a high-pressure academic program might have long-lasting negative effects. Cites 14 references. (MLH)

This publication provides information on the accreditation process for early childhood education and care providers participating in the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System (QIAS), developed by the National Childcare Accreditation Council of Australia. The publication is divided into sections corresponding to steps in the…

The Bernard van Leer Foundation, now headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, was established as a philanthropic institution in 1949. This book examines the range and complexity of the foundation's work on behalf of young disadvantaged children, and illustrates the unique character of the foundation. The book, which consists of 11 chapters,…