The child-care facility is rapidly growing into the role of gatekeeper on food intake for children. This article describes guidelines for children's nutritional needs, what children are actually eating, how to make menus more nutritious (including recipes), how to strengthen menus and keep food costs low, and the use of food banks. (EV)

Describes the concept of sensitive and competent infant care in group child-care settings. Offers seven principles to provide a more complete picture of sensitive and competent care, covering aspects of caregiving including interactions with the child, providing opportunities for learning, and working with the child's own needs and schedules.…

Suggests strategies for caregivers to encourage peer interactions in infant/toddler programs. Strategies include helping children become familiar with surroundings and one another, maintaining social groups and friendships, varying the number and types of toys available at one time, controlling the number of children in a particular space, and…

Examined associations among infant caregivers' training and the quality of care they provide. Found through observation and rating of 50 Caucasian female caregivers that as infant caregiver training levels increased, so did mean scores on some dimensions of quality, such as personal care routines and learning activities. (EV)

Explores family-style meal service as a means to building autonomy and healthy eating behaviors in young children. Discusses the development of food preferences, age-related developmental responses to food, and the importance of socially mediated exposure to food as a way to increased food acceptance. Presents guidelines for implementing…

Notes that because child care is a customer-service business with many of the same requirements as any retail business, it is important that providers communicate clearly, help their customers (especially parents), and understand their needs. Offers suggestions for meeting parents' needs and making them feel like active participants in their…

Delineates signs of physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse in young children for child caregivers, and provides suggestions for recognizing abusive adults. Describes the law and procedures for reporting suspected abuse or neglect in Texas. Discusses the types of response from police or child protective services and how to continue working with…

As part of a commitment to quality, child care workers acknowledge the need to deliver an anti-bias curriculum; gender is one area of concern. This paper examines some of the research about development of gender segregation behaviors in young children, particularly during conflict resolution, and suggests appropriate strategies for addressing…

Identifies some of the major issues associated with liability and exposure in caring for mildly ill children and highlights some recommended strategies for minimizing liability. Examines issues related to preventing the spread of disease, administering medications, emergency medical authorization, and confidentiality. (KB)

Discusses implications of cultural influences on child rearing for teachers' communication and caregiving routines in early childhood settings. Highlights the Parent-Teacher Dialogue Project (San Francisco Bay area) to encourage open dialog between parents and caregivers, which has resulted in increased awareness of the impact of teachers'…

This paper, presented in three parts, examines the role of the early childhood professional in Europe. Part 1 of the paper examines how various European countries broadly conceptualize the early childhood professional role. Four broad categories are described: (1) early childhood pedagogue; (2) preschool specialist; (3) teacher; and (4) social…

Examines how child caregivers can shape parents' expectations of child care through written and visual materials. Includes suggestions for writing notes to parents, focusing on characteristics of good parent notes. Provides excerpts from sample notes and lists nine sources of parent/program conflict, including biting and child aggression, outdoor…

Examined conflict behavior of 50 3-year olds in day care centers to learn how and why adults become involved in children's conflicts. Found that adults were more likely to intervene when there was some physical activity involved in the conflict, and that this heading off of violence may inhibit children from learning to deal independently with…

Replies to the commentary by McCartney and Black (PS 523 017) on an article by Bradley and Caldwell (PS 523 016), both reported in this issue. Argues that scientifically useful descriptions of caregiving environments can be attained using a systematic, objective approach to classifying acts and conditions of the environment while recognizing that…

Examines caregiver attitudes toward toddler conflict and considers ways to facilitate conflict resolution to promote toddler growth, learning, and social development. Suggests that the ways caregivers intervene often do not promote resolution between children. Presents prevention and intervention strategies and discusses implications for practice…