Assessment of the expectations of families with handicapped (N=9) and nonhandicapped (N=50) young children before and after the introduction of handicapped children into a day care center revealed both groups felt that greatest benefits were derived from exposing children to the "real" world and promoting acceptance of handicapped children.…

Achievement tests and the parents of the students involved both indicate that the Phillips Extended Day Magnet School in Raleigh, North Carolina, provides an effective program for the students enrolled. The school offers programs from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. (IRT)

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…

Large-scale cases of child sexual abuse in settings such as day care centers have received a great deal of public and legal attention. This attention has complicated attempts to research the effects of such victimization on child development. Described in this paper are difficulties encountered by a Michigan group investigating the effects of…

Details the methods and findings to date of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study of early child care. Findings concern economic factors and maternal attitudes associated with use, program characteristics associated with positive caregiving and child outcomes, the importance of family factors, program quality, and…

Links family income, ethnicity, and child's age to child care characteristics. Finds that children from families with incomes at least twice the poverty threshold were more likely than others to be in nonparental care and spent more hours in care. Ethnicity, not poverty, related to relative-care use. Few income, ethnicity, or age differences…

This pilot study of the structural characteristics of daily routines of young children also explored aspects of conceptual framework and research instruments. Four data collection instruments were developed. Two of the three retrospective measures used were questionnaires for mothers about their child's routine on the previous day. The other…

Discusses the opportunities to expand child care services into the primary grades. Presents information on the market for private schools, suggests reasons parents would consider primary grades in child care centers as a viable alternative to public schools, and identifies a rationale for expansion. Discusses initial activities, such as testing…

Drawing on data from the 1995 National Household Education Survey, this report examines the characteristics of the care and education children receive on a regular basis before they enter school. The report focuses on various characteristics of child care arrangements categorized into two groups: those that have been associated with children's…

A survey of 48 parents of young children in rural Native communities in Ontario examined children's play activities at home; reasons for utilizing the community day care center; and parent attitudes about play, cultural education, the value of the center to the community, and educational activities at the center. (SV)

Considers the public's growing recognition that early childhood education is good for young children. Addresses misconceptions that education and care are different and that the purpose of early childhood programs is to prepare children for school. (BG)

Examined the out-of-school time of children between the ages of four and seven who were enrolled in Head Start and school transition programs. Found that watching television, playing, and spending time with friends were children's major activities during their out-of-school time. (MDM)

Examined the reasoning and experiences of African American, Anglo, and Latina mothers in selecting child care while meeting welfare-to-work requirements. Critiqued three theoretical positions in light of a structured developmental psychology perspective. Found that mothers' preeminent criterion is that they trust the provider. Concluded that…

Summarizes research on various aspects of mothering, including the decision to have children, child rearing in the early years and maternal employment, and late parenting with adult children. Urges an ecological perspective toward parenting and various publicly and privately-supported child care facilities and arrangements. (CJM)

Reviews the correlates of parents' child care arrangements. Considers parents' values and child-rearing beliefs, knowledge of child care quality, and satisfaction with child care choice, as well as family factors. Offers recommendations for honoring parents' child care ideas through better child care quality information and higher professional…