Speech language pathologists have recently begun to provide community-based education programs to help prevent speech and language problems. These training opportunities can be particularly useful to programs that serve low income families. The authors describe Tips About Talk, a general education and prevention program designed to help caregivers…

This study examined the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes of first year college students about children, childhood, and childrearing that comprise their naive theories about children's development. Participating in the study were 122 students in the undergraduate Home Science program at the University of Baroda, India. All participants were…

This issue of the NCEDL Spotlights series announces the availability of a national directory of institutions offering programs for early childhood teachers, "The National Directory of Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Institutions," published by NCEDL and the Council for Professional Recognition. The directory contains listings for…

The Families Matter series of papers from the Harvard Family Research Project advances the concept of family-centered child care, advocating an approach to early childhood education that addresses the development of the child and family together. Grounded in family support principles, which build on family strengths and work from a community's…

Describes the work and organization of the Center, which focuses on strengthening the capacity of child care and Head Start programs to improve social and emotional outcomes for young children. Specifically examines two main activities: creation of a series of What Works Briefs and development of a set of comprehensive training modules. (SD)

Discusses the positive relationship between 4-H programs and school-age care programs, advocating the use of 4-H programs as a model for care, or as a source of care, caregiver training, or curriculum. Notes the role of the Cooperative Extension System in training and supporting school-age care providers. (JPB)

The Lawrence (Kansas) Public School District has a federally funded, three-site 21st Century Community Learning Center (including two elementary schools and one junior high school.) that offers academic, cultural, social, and recreational activities during after-school hours. Staff receives training aligned with students' diverse needs and…

Cites research indicating that few child care centers and homes provide a level of quality that fully supports children's learning and development. Offers suggestions for quality improvement, including more college training and mentoring for caregivers, improved wages, and assessment of staff perceptions about staff development. (HTH)

Observed 81 caregivers from 24 urban centers interacting with 3- to 5-year olds. Interactions were categorized into negative/positive, language facilitation, concept promotion, and caregiving and cleaning-up domains. When all positive teacher interactions were combined, found that early childhood education/child development coursework accounted…

Although effective, humane treatments exist for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) who have challenging behaviour, little research has examined the extent to which clients receive formal, documented vs. undocumented interventions. Caregivers (of 625 persons with ID living in community and institutional residences in Ontario, Canada) were…

In large residential treatment centers for adolescent youth, program administrators and clinical staff rely on the information imparted to them by direct care staff to make appropriate decisions regarding administrative and clinical support functions so that the residents in care can receive the best treatment possible. This study was designed to…

The Stepfamily Enrichment Program is a multi-couple group intervention intended to help stepfamilies successfully negotiate the early stages of family formation. Theory, research, and clinical findings were integrated in this intervention designed specifically for remarried couples. Emphasis is placed on strengthening and improving family…

The use of the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in combination with other funding has been an important factor in the development of initiatives to expand and improve child care services in rural areas. Based on their personal knowledge, a technical advisory group and experts recommended states with innovative, unique, and successful…

This report contains the results of a nationwide survey of state regulatory agencies and is intended to update family day care licensing information gathered in 1990. In May 1991, the central regulatory agency in each of 50 states and the District of Columbia was asked to verify information gathered in the 1990 survey and answer further questions…

Using an experiential learning approach, these guides for 4-H leaders and members detail a 6-session program, "Babysitting Beginnings," to teach sixth through twelfth graders the responsibilities and skills involved in babysitting. Participants develop a babysitting tool kit for future use with children and a babysitting portfolio, a…