A key policy response to continuing concerns about levels of poverty and social exclusion in the United Kingdom has been the promotion of integrated children's services, involving professionals from education, social work, health and other fields working together on an inter-agency basis. This small-scale qualitative research project, using an…

In the last two decades, a myriad of political and social factors have converged and had a dramatic impact on Early Childhood Education (EC) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). There have been sweeping changes in policy and shifts in society that have resulted in greater numbers of programs serving young children of all abilities and…

Mobile Creche ("creche" means "day nursery") was founded on one woman's determination to change life for India's most vulnerable children. Within its first decade, Mobile Creches' network of child care centers spread from construction sites to urban slums and from the capital city of Delhi to the commercial and cultural centers…

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of engagement that could be used in practice with children with disabilities, including children with severe intellectual disabilities. Method: The "Individual Child Engagement Record" (ICER) was designed to observe and record the engagement of individual children in order to identify…

Pre-K Now was created as a part of a major grant-making strategy of The Pew Charitable Trusts to assist national and state leaders to design and implement sound, research-based policies that support voluntary access to high-quality pre-K for all three- and four-year-old children in the United States. Pre-K Now's vision is a nation in which every…

Parents are children's first and foremost teachers. In today's world, a second significant influence on children ages 0 to 5 is the teachers or caregivers who provide child care and early education. Wisconsin's young children typically spend significant amounts of time in early care and education (ECE) programs, like family child care homes, child…

This article identifies problems, issues and insights through critical reflection on the rules, written and unwritten, which encroach on the research process in the "Both Ways" project. The project investigates the development and sustainability of remote Aboriginal children's services in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia.…

"Zero to Three" is a single-focus bulletin of the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families providing insight from multiple disciplines on the development of infants, toddlers, and their families. Responding to family needs in the wake of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, this issue focuses on infants, toddlers, and terror.…

Identifies five fundamental indicators of good financial management for child care programs. Offers composites of child care program experiences to illustrate these fundamentals: enrollment at capacity with a waiting list, tuition based on full cost of care, family fees paid on time, program's bills and taxes paid on time, and a cash reserve in…

Describes the Children's Home Extended Child Care Program in Tennessee, a year-round child-care program operating 24 hours a day. Presents considerations for programs contemplating extending their hours, including operation hours, ages of children served, staffing schedule, serving meals, cleaning the facility, facility security, and funding.…

Offers tips for using garage sales and other community sources for obtaining inexpensive classroom materials. Lists potential finds at yard sales and thrift shops. Suggestions include setting up a budget before shopping, recognizing the educational value of real objects for young children, and taking health and safety precautions before…

Of interest in this study were the factors that lead to quality child care centers. The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) was examined for its utility as an effective training device to enlighten directors and classroom teachers of what constitutes quality classrooms. An experimental design was employed for this study.…

The psychometric properties of the revised Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R) were examined using 202 Colorado child care centers. A factor analysis revealed that the ECERS-R does not measure seven distinct aspects of quality, as asserted by the developers of the ECERS-R, but instead measures one global aspect of quality. This…

This article presents the findings of an exploratory study designed to look at the issue of removal of children from childcare due to behavior problems. A survey was sent to a random sample of nonresidential licensed day care centers (DCCs) in Texas. Results from the survey indicate that 50% of DCCs have removed a child from care due to behavior…

Managing cash flow is an incredibly important skill for a center director. Even a center with an annual budget showing a healthy surplus may experience brief periods where funds in the checkbook are insufficient to pay all the bills. To discover how successful directors manage cash flow in tight times, the author surveyed members of the "Exchange…