Child-staff ratios are an important quality indicator. They are often collected by observing one randomly selected classroom several times during a 2-h period on a single day. However, it is unclear whether these measures represent the ratios that children actually experience during most of their time in care. This study compared ratio data…

Noting that there has been no national policy on child care, Canada has relied on non-profit organizations and privately owned businesses to provide most of its child care services. Historically, federal funding policies and provincial choices have produced wide differences across the country in the distribution of non-profit, for-profit and…

Offers guidelines for putting a monetary value on a child care business. Discusses reasons for valuing the business, types of valuations (book, liquidation, and fair market), fair market valuation formulas, the corporate valuation, valuing assets included in a sale, and using experts. Also offers several tips for selling a child care business. (EV)

Examines reasons for slowed growth in employer child care over the past two years. Discusses the impact of the economic recession, organizational changes in the largest employer child care management organizations, international acquisitions of the Bright Horizons child care organization, flexible options for the child care benefit, and the…

Suggests ways to improve the success of substitute preschool teachers, including orienting the substitute to the program schedule, curriculum, and other aspects of the position and program; making the substitute feel valued; and preparing staff to work with substitutes. Includes samples of a substitute fact sheet and evaluation form. (JPB)

Professionals in family and consumer sciences (FCS) encounter children with an autism diagnosis more frequently than they did in the past, but often have had no specific preparation for working with this population. The Paula and Anthony Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism at Youngstown State University was established to improve the…

Planning and tending a garden can be a great deal of fun. The opportunity to act as creator can be very appealing. However, anyone who has gardened for long has learned the necessity of accommodating nature and has developed a sense of humility in the process. Growing a center takes time, skill, and patience. In this article, the author presents…

Directors are in a key position to give centers an overall boost by holding fundraisers. As state and federal support decreases and budgets continue to shrink, there is growing pressure to supplement budgets with monies from other sources. Fundraising can provide a solution and boost the bottom line. While it may seem intimidating and time…

The education and care of children is traditionally a family duty in the Hungarian culture. This is especially true for small (under 3 years) children. This is well transcribed into the social-welfare system: the child care allowance is paid for the mother for up to the second birthday of the child. Even after there is another kind of allowance…

The Saint Paul Public Schools' Project Early Kindergarten program aims to improve the school readiness of Saint Paul children. The program offers a rigorous academic approach and targets children who are English Language Learners, come from low-income families, or need Special Education services. Ultimately, the program intends to help close Saint…

Every day, millions of three- and four-year-old children attend early education programs. The range of early childhood education program models includes, among others, state-funded pre-k, Head Start, and child care programs. Children attend these programs in public schools, private schools, colleges, businesses, community-based centers, and homes.…

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…