In this important new book, Sharon Lynn Kagan and her colleagues focus on the nearly 5 million individuals who have the responsibility of caring for and educating nearly two thirds of the American children under age 5 who spend time in nonparental care. Providing the most thorough synthesis of current research on the early care and education…

Using models subjected to extensive specification tests, analysis of data from the National Child Care Staffing Study found that group size, child-staff ratio, and staff education and training have only small impacts on the quality of care provided. (SK)

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…

Difficulties in finding, keeping, and ensuring the competence of the direct support workforce in community developmental disability services has long been a challenge for individuals, families, providers, and policy makers. Direct support staff recruitment, retention, and competence are widely reported as one of the most significant barriers to…

Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care is defined as regular, nonparental care provided by other than a licensed center, program, or family child care home. This study examined characteristics of Washington state children in FFN care, the characteristics and training of FFN caregivers, and views of policymakers and professionals regarding FFN…

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…

Documents the need for and importance of high-quality child care; the influence of caregivers on children's cognitive, social, and emotional development; qualifications of and remuneration for child caregivers; and the relation of quality care to lower juvenile crime. Proposes that child caregivers be given adequate training (including alternate…

Presents controversial issues concerning kinship care and findings from a survey of child welfare experts on their research priorities for kinship care. Discusses suggestions for future research in the following categories: children; families; services; state policies; experience of professionals and families; practice issues; and training. (TJQ)

Considers the value of formal education and child-related training for preparing high-quality child caregivers, arguing that a combination of the two provides the best preparation. Maintains that education affects caregivers' interactions with children, further supplemented by child-related training. Offers suggestions for caregiver training…

In recent years, growing knowledge of the critical importance of early childhood development for lifelong learning and growth had led to increased calls for the professionalism of early childhood educators, including higher standards for their training and education. As part of this attention to professional development, many states are…

This report, released by The California Education Collaborative for Children in Foster Care, calls for a sharper focus on the educational outcomes for children in foster care and offers recommendations for strengthening the policies and systems that support them. The report describes the Collaborative's charge and products, briefly summarizes…

In 2006, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) to improve the school readiness of Washington State's children through three main strategies: (1) development of high-quality, community-wide early learning initiatives in two communities; (2) enhancement of statewide systems that support early…

Concern about the quality of infant-toddler care programs has grown recently in response to two factors. The first is the need of employed parents for such care, and the second is research emphasizing the importance of brain development in the early years. This Digest introduces some of the many issues related to the quality of infant-toddler…

Concern about the quality of infant-toddler care programs has grown recently in response to two factors. The first is the need of employed parents for such care, and the second is research emphasizing the importance of brain development in the early years. This Spanish-language Digest introduces some of the many issues related to the quality of…

Restorative care attempts to break the cycle of dependency and functional decline in nursing homes by addressing individual resident needs. The Restorative Care Education and Training (RCET) Program consists of a five-week workshop and resource manual for both supervisory and direct care staff. This paper describes the RCET approach and presents…