Describes the change strategies involved in moving a mediocre child care program onto the road to excellence. Highlights strategies focusing on changing staff perceptions of themselves and their practices with families, obtaining honest observations of staff, visiting other programs for inservice training, examining educational practices in terms…

Examined job/occupational instability among child care teachers and directors. Found that over half of teachers and a third of directors had left their centers 4 years after initial interviews. Highly trained teachers were more likely to leave jobs if they earned lower wages, worked in less stable climate, or worked with greater percentage of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of otitis media (OM) and the quality of child care on the social and communicative behaviors of toddlers, using a cumulative risk framework that included moderation. The study followed 72 children who began child care in infancy. Both process and structural aspects of the quality of 11 child…

This study examined barriers to the implementation of continuity-of-care practices in child care centers. We collected qualitative and quantitative data for 52 children at four centers that advertise their programs as continuity programs. Of the 52 children, only 7 of the children had been cared for in a single child-caregiver dyad between the…

In this article, the author shares her experiences on her visit to Kullungen barnehage in Longyearbyen, Norway and discusses how Kullungen strives to create quality learning experiences for children. Much of the children's play and work at Kullungen reflects the climate, wildlife, and way of being on the top of the world. Like quality programs…

Children behave differently when they spend the day in child care and knowing their ideas about care is vital to understanding their happiness, continued development and learning. In this article, the authors share their methods and acquired wisdom about surveying young children, as well as the results of their study--what children think about…

The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of the current workforce in early childhood. This report highlights key characteristics of the 2005 early childhood center workforce in Ohio. Survey packets were sent to 3.600 randomly selected centers in April 2005, representing centers licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and…

The Early ON School Readiness Project is an emerging community-based model aimed at promoting the school readiness of 3- to 5-year-old children in a metropolitan area with a predominantly Latino (Mexican-American) population. Using an ecological approach, the multi-component program seeks to enhance school readiness opportunities for children at…

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) administers the nation's largest and most widely recognized accreditation system for child care centers, preschools, kindergartens, and other early childhood education programs. The standards and accreditation criteria included in this book were approved by the NAEYC Governing…

Noting that locating suitable space can be a challenge when starting a new early childhood program or relocating an established program in New York City, this resource paper focuses on physical sites for early education and child care programs and services. Presented in three parts, the paper includes tips for assessing the feasibility of a…

Examined how Canadian day care centers are operated and managed, to identify differences in organizational structure and behavior between non-profit and for-profit centers and characteristics of structure and management linked with high quality care. Found that non-profit centers were more complex, more formalized, and less centralized than…

The Haifa Study of Early Child Care examined the unique contribution of various child-care-related correlates to infant-mother attachment. Findings indicated that, after controlling for other potential contributing variables (including mother characteristics, mother-child interaction, and mother- father relationship), center care adversely…

Describes the design of notable day care facilities, including the educational context and design goals. Includes information on architects, suppliers, and cost, as well as photographs. (EV)

Recounts one man's experiences as a child caregiver and child care center director to illustrate the challenges faced by men in the child care field. Considers issues related to compensation, retention, anxieties over possible negative parental reaction, professional isolation, stereotypes and misconceptions, and the administrator-caregiver…

Discusses the Systemic Change Model for Leadership, Inclusion, and Mentoring (SLIM), designed to help directors of child care organizations lead successful systemic changes. The model includes recommendations for building caring, consistent relationships with the total system, staff empowerment, a mentoring program to help the director focus…