This paper examines activity settings and daily classroom routines experienced by 3- and 4-year-old low-income children in public center-based preschool programs, private center-based programs, and family child care homes. Two daily routine profiles were identified using a time-sampling coding procedure: a High Free-Choice pattern in which…

Research Findings: Relatively little is known about the pre-academic experiences of Latino/a children in family child care. In this work we tested the extent to which previously established relations among provider characteristics, scaffolding and responsive behaviors, total quality (Family Day Care Rating Scale), and children's engagement in…

Eighty-three low-income Mexican-heritage children (44 girls) and their mothers participated in this research. Children were observed with alternative caregivers at 14, 24, and 36 months of age using the Attachment Q-Set. Most children received regular care from infancy through preschool from relatives and childcare providers. Children had high…

The aim of the study was to uncover early childhood educators' beliefs about how to best work with children getting ready for kindergarten. The study involved 11 focus groups with providers from three types of early education settings located in Los Angeles County: (1) public center-based programs, (2) private center-based programs, and (3) family…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report provides county-level commissioners and their staff with information about…

This short-term longitudinal study examined changes over time in social competence with peers as a function of child and classroom characteristics. One hundred and seventy ethnically diverse low-income children, all new to their peer groups, entered childcare classrooms with heterogeneous entry policies and ethnic/racial compositions. We observed…

Research Findings: This study examines child care centers that improved quality and sustained these improvements over time. Quality was assessed using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales (ECERS). Forty-three centers were visited three times over six years. Centers that substantially improved by Time 2 were not initially rated better than…

Research Findings: This study is intended to widen the debate around the bachelor's degree (BA) as preparation for early childhood teaching when head teachers possess various levels of credentials and education. We examined classroom quality and teacher involvement in 231 classrooms sponsored by 122 different agencies, staffed and supervised by…

The goal of the research reported in this article was to examine the process of forming attachment to caregivers in children new to childcare. We examined child and adult behaviors and the adult's perception of the child at entry, and the ethnic/racial match between the child and caregiver as predictors of attachment relationship quality measured…

Identified teacher and program practices in child care programs serving low-income children and families of color, and examined associations among practices, quality, and observed child behaviors. Identified four meaningful groups of practices. Found that children's competent peer behavior and participation in learning activities could be…

A direct pathway to children's literacy forms through the development of shared meaning. Proto-narrative construction and social pretend play with peers can be important tools in children's developing emergent literacy. Early child-care programs provide relatively little unstructured time. To reemphasize shared meaning in the lives of children,…

Explored whether children's experiences in child care programs related to individual (ethnicity, age, gender) and classroom (environmental quality) characteristics. Identified six patterns in how children spent their time: creative, language arts, didactic, gross motor, high-level adult involvement, and individualized adult interactions. Found…

Examined pathways to effective teaching among African-American and Latino early childhood teachers serving low-income children. Found that after controlling for formal education, responsive involvement in the field could be predicted by a teacher's staying in the field for the community, being mentored, and being supervised. Engaging in language…

In this research we examined associations among teacher-articulated beliefs and practices about families, teacher background characteristics, and observed teaching practices in programs that served low-income children and families of color. One hundred and fifty four children (50% girls) and their primary teachers from 12 programs in Los Angeles…

We describe the process of relationship-based intervention and associated changes in children and teachers' relationships and behaviors within center-based child care and examine the circumstances under which changes were most likely to occur. The relationship-based intervention had three components: research partners in each participating…