ERIC Number: ED388402
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 44
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Study of Children in Family Child Care and Relative Care. Highlights of Findings.
Galinsky, Ellen; And Others
Child care in a provider's home is the most prevalent form of child care for young children with employed mothers in the United States today. The quality of family care and relative care is of concern partly because of growing public recognition that child care experiences are children's education before school. As the first in-depth, observational study of family child care and relative care in more than a decade, this study focuses on 820 mothers and 225 of their children in the homes of 226 providers in the communities of San Fernando/Los Angeles, California; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Key findings from the study are in the following areas: (1) definitions of quality; (2) effect of quality of child development; (3) predictors of quality, including job commitment, professional development, planning, regulation, and conformance; and (4) causes for concern. The study found that care in the home of a provider is offered by three distinct groups: (1) regulated family child care providers; (2) nonregulated family child care providers; and (3) nonregulated relatives who provide care. Parents and providers agree about what is most essential: the child's safety, the provider's and parents' communication about the child, and a warm, attentive relationship between the provider and child. Family child care providers who intentionally seek out opportunities to learn more about child care and education are also those people who create the most nurturing and educational environments. These are intentional providers who offer warmer and higher-quality child care. (Contains 62 references.) (BGC)
Descriptors: Caregiver Attitudes, Caregiver Child Relationship, Caregiver Role, Child Caregivers, Child Development, Child Rearing, Child Safety, Definitions, Early Childhood Education, Educational Quality, Family Day Care, Family Environment, Parent Caregiver Relationship, Preschool Children, Professional Development, Young Children
Families and Work Institute, 330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 ($18, plus $3.50 shipping and handling. Discount on orders of 5 or more copies).
Publication Type: Books; Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Families and Work Inst., New York, NY.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A