Intended for use by child care advocates, this booklet describes ways to gather local information about existing salaries, benefits, and working conditions among child care workers for the purpose of coordinating efforts to upgrade the field. The booklet begins by presenting the rationale behind conducting salary surveys, noting that surveys can…

The organizer of the Silverlake People's Playground in Los Angeles describes the playground's beginnings, its objectives, its struggles with city bureaucracy and its part in the national movement for quality day care. (Editor)

Five major factors are responsible for the daycare industry increasing at a faster rate than the number of working mothers: growth in numbers of children under six, family changes causing decreased care by relatives, government funding, tax credits, and private initiatives, such as corporate and nonprofit-sponsored daycare. (SK)

This project attempted to show that rural disadvantaged young women can be trained for employment as day-care attendants. The nine course participants were selected from a group of women between the ages of 18 and 25 who had previously received training in basic education and life skills. Criteria included physical and mental health, grooming,…

Last in four-part series on infant and toddler development, discusses professionalism in the context of required caregiving beliefs and practices in working with infants and toddlers. Presents four "common threads" of professionalism that transcend level of education and experience--specialized knowledge of children's development,…

Child care is an issue of profound significance for children and society, but it is faced with many unresolved difficulties. Children's Action Alliance in Arizona held a series of public forums around the state to give people a wider view of the child care dilemma and to provide a public hearing for those most affected by child care difficulties.…

Argues that child advocacy is a responsibility of day care center personnel and that caregivers must strive for recognition as professionals. (Author/DB)

Intergenerational day care is a growing trend. Training of dual caregivers involves three challenges: (1) identifying minimum knowledge needed to work with both adults and children; (2) lack of data on effects of intergenerational care; and (3) hesitancy of students and faculty to study/teach about both groups. (SK)

Article discusses the origins and development of the Child Development Associate Program for training professional staff in child care. (GB)

Because a national day care program will probably be instituted soon, the major issues should be debated before policies are set. Thus some program models are analyzed and then related to the needs of various consumer groups. (Author)

Analysis of data from a national sample of over 4,000 child care workers indicates that (1) their wages are unaffected by government subsidies and regulations; and (2) wages have remained constant relative to other workers' wages despite substantial increases in child care subsidies. (SK)

Evaluated the Philadelphia Early Childhood Collaborative, a program designed to improve child care by increasing cooperation among organizations that deliver professional resources to child care providers. Found no long-term effects on provider behavior, attitudes, or knowledge, although child care providers rated services highly. (SLD)

This report presents the rationale, scope, and implementation of an innovative early childhood education leadership training program in Israel designed to improve child care services in development towns and among the disadvantaged. The program aim is to focus attention on the importance of replacing the prevailing custodial care with integrated…