Deconstructs the prevailing paradigm of childhood development. Argues that childhood is a social construction and traces changing images of childhood throughout history. Criticizes well-intentioned but devitalizing day care and kindergarten practices. Argues for a child-centered perception of childhood. (FMW)

An overview of the factors influencing growing emphasis on day care and an examination of the historical development, current trends and future goals of day care. (Author/AJ)

This dissertation traces the history of day care licensing standards in Texas from the beginnings in voluntary welfare organizations to the 1976 revisions. Chapter I gives an overview of the study. The beginnings and subsequent development of day care as it emerged from a multiplicity of child welfare and education concerns is traced in Chapter…

High quality day care is a pressing social need for the 1970's. Factors responsible for the strong interest in day care include pressures for welfare reform, the growing number of women in the labor force, minority pressures for equal opportunities, and research findings stressing the importance of development during the early years of a child's…

By accepting both the importance of the group on achievement behavior in general and the importance of better facilities, teachers, and curricula on the behavior of children from minorities and lower social and economic levels, we will have a good basis for helping all children develop and learn. (Author)

Describes recent changes in Swedish system of child care and early childhood education and analyzes them in relation to economic and socio-political context. Argues that early childhood education is an important part of the welfare society, which itself is in a state of transition, with neo-liberal ideas and economic constraints implying financial…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the social work profession on day care delivery from 1890 to 1946, and to relate the outcomes of the investigation to some contemporary social policy issues. The first chapter discusses day care during the Progressive Era (1890 to 1918) while the second chapter explores the…

This paper presents an ecological approach to the study of day care, addressing the interaction of such factors as the developmental needs of children, the role of family structure, and the impact of governmental funding and regulatory policies. (Author/LMO)

Based upon observations of two preschool settings, argues that such environments are often adult-oriented and are alienating for children. Attributes problems in day care settings to their modeling on the bureaucratic organization of the corporate state, in which productivity, conformity, and docility are seen as desirable. (Author/GC)

This ERIC Digest briefly reviews studies of maternal employment, child care settings, and links between children's development and family and child care influences. Studies of maternal employment suggest that infants' positive relationships with caregivers may compensate for insecure attachments with mothers. If future research supports this…

The central issue discussed in this paper on policy issues in early childhood education concerns the locus of primary responsibility for the care and rearing of the infant and young child. To provide an analytic basis for decision-making in early childhood education, the author (1) describes the serious and deepening societal problems that appear…

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…

Noting demographic and socio-political shifts in Europe, this paper discusses challenges facing early childhood education in providing children with sufficient competence to cope successfully with discontinuities in their lives caused by rapidly changing social conditions and family structure. The paper outlines some contextual conditions which…

Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) offers a means both to improve services to children and to help communities "get it all together." In this modern society, community life is so complex that coordination and mobilization of resources are a must if the necessary social tasks are to get done...like seeing that all children receive good care,…

Surveyed South Africans to document the status of and need for early childhood care and education. Found that families and community members who previously responded to young children's needs can no longer do so due to social and economic dynamics. Also found training, training centers, infrastructure, and integration of African culture in…