Provides a history of early childhood care and education in pre- and postindependent India. Outlines current education schemes and examines the contribution of research to this area, suggesting that the current interaction between researcher and policymaker may result in more concrete promotion of early childhood programs. (TJQ)

Care in the provider's home is the most prevalent form of child care in the United States today for children younger than five with employed mothers. This report presents key findings of the first in-depth observational study of family child care and relative care in over a decade. It identifies areas of concern and outlines policy…

Discusses federal and state initiatives to enhance child care quality and child care teachers' compensation. These initiatives have resulted from the passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant in 1990. (BB)

An innovative training program to improve the quality of child care for all children including those with disabilities was developed, implemented, and evaluated over a 5-year time span with child caregivers working primarily in inner city child care programs. A total of 283 directors and child caregivers participated in 1 of 15 courses that used…

Happiness is a critical indicator of quality of life in humans. A few studies have measured levels of happiness displayed under different conditions by individuals with profound multiple disabilities. We were interested in determining whether increasing the mindfulness of caregivers would result in increased levels of happiness in adults with…

Family, friend and neighbor (FFN) child caregivers represent a significant proportion of caregivers for young children. Yet, these caregivers receive little support for their services. In 2003, the First 5 California Children and Families Commission (First 5 California) began a study to determine the work-related needs of FFN caregivers in…

Today we often hear that early care and education is becoming or should become a profession. In this article, the authors discuss what it means to be a profession, and a professional and consider how these characteristics apply to the field of early care and education now and in the future. Professionals possess specialized knowledge and…

This report describes a study of the training of early childhood educators in the state of New Mexico, undertaken during the summer of 1991. The study sought to: (1) determine the scope and content of training used by a variety of early childhood educators; (2) develop a profile of both agencies and individuals who provide training; (3) identify…

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the child care system in the metropolitan Detroit area is responsive to the needs of families. The study is introduced by a literature review examining current tends and providing a historical overview of child care in the United States. Questionnaires sent to parents of children at…

This study sought to identify where family caregivers acquired their knowledge of children and child care and to determine which knowledge sources and influences may contribute most to specialized early childhood knowledge; such information may improve the effectiveness and efficiency of training programs for caregivers. In collaboration with the…

This study examined the relationship between child caregiver commitment and the caregiver's personal characteristics and work experience, the characteristics of the job, and the quality of the child care center. Questionnaires that included several measurement instruments were sent to 381 full-time child caregivers in 94 centers. Caregiver…

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 family child care providers of diverse race, ethnicity, immigrant status, and social class, this book explores the social, political, and economic forces and processes that draw women into the work of family child care. The articles dispel not only myths about why women choose to be family child care…

This matrix provides information on early childhood training and technical assistance services in Illinois. Parts of the document are presented in grid form so that information can be compared across programs. First, information is provided on the following training and technical assistance providers: Child Care Resource & Referral…

This curriculum module provides information and guidance on controlling communicable and infectious diseases in the childcare setting and is designed to fulfill the learning needs and licensing requirements of childcare providers in California. The curriculum provides 4 to 7 hours of training for childcare providers to be conducted by experienced…

This paper highlights research into the positive possibilities for children in school and life when they have access to high-quality care and education before entering public school. Three key components of early care and education are discussed in the paper. The first, quality in early care and education, addresses: (1) What is high quality and…