Parenting programmes are effective interventions for preventing and treating conduct problems in young children. Up to 20% of children in disadvantaged areas have conduct disorder. Recent government initiatives such as targeting early years services to designated disadvantaged Flying Start areas in Wales have resulted in increased nursery-care…

Limiting exposure to sunlight during childhood can significantly reduce the risk of skin cancer. This was the first national study to assess the sun protection policies and practices of early childhood services across Australia. It also examined the key predictors of services' sun protection practices. In 2007, 1017 respondents completed a…

In 1998 a group of American adoptive parents led by Jenny Bowen created Half the Sky Foundation (HTS) to provide nurturing care and education for children living in Chinese orphanages (known as children's welfare institutions). Jenny, a former screenwriter and film director, and her husband Richard wanted to ensure that the children still waiting…

The early childhood years (conception to age 8) are not only the most critical time for human growth but also for development and learning. Neurological and behavioral scientists document how inadequate stimulation and interactions can disrupt basic neural circuitry and cause long-term challenges for child's cognitive development. Yet, despite the…

Describes the transformation of women from babysitters to child care professionals as a result of becoming a family child care provider in the U.S. military Family Child Care (FCC) program. Discusses application process, orientation training, the use of peer mentors, initial setup, inspections, enrollment, caregiver training, and accreditation.…

Describes the Home-Based Child Care Program, an initiative to improve child care quality by providing training to kith-and-kin caregivers and to family child care providers in three New York City low-income immigrant communities and by expanding local employment opportunities. Notes that the program achieved its primary goals, providing…

The Child Care Initiative Project, a public-private partnership designed to build the supply of child care throughout California, has achieved remarkable success in recruiting and training providers and increasing the number of child-care spaces in family day-care settings. Community-based organization and strong evaluation instruments have been…

As the numbers of children enrolled in child care from infancy have increased, there is a growing acceptance of this now prevailing mode of childrearing. Asserting that the "necessary evil" perception of child care contributes to the mediocrity of the American child care system, this book contends that this characterization is misguided…

In April 2002, the Bush Administration announced the "Good Start, Grow Smart" (GSGS) initiative to help States and local communities strengthen early learning for young children. The goal of GSGS is to ensure that young children enter kindergarten with the skills they will need to succeed at reading and other early learning activities. GSGS…

Examines positive child rearing interactions in an out-of-family (home- or center-based) child care setting. Presents a conceptual model of the levels of adult interactions with children and examines specific patterns of adult child interactions. Also urges early childhood educators and supervisors to notice and record these interactions. (BB)

Notes that early education and child-care programs are more often child-centered than family-centered, and that currently, the trend is to integrate family support services with them. Provides a conceptual framework for this integration and examples of the design and implementation of family support services in different types of early education…

Describes the revision of "Let's Talk about Touching," a child sexual abuse prevention program widely used in early childhood and kindergarten programs in British Columbia since 1986. Describes the program as comprised of a manual providing information about sexual abuse, information on the teacher's role, detailed lesson plans, family…

Presents plan for developing community support system for quality child care, based on the military's system. Examines the military system quality components and applicability of this model for the nation. Presents local steps toward the proposed "New American Child Care System." Asserts that a few key policy changes could bridge the…

Describes 11 ideas related to staff development and center management that have been successfully developed and implemented in day care centers throughout the country. (BB)

Maintains that appropriate staff training for family and child care center providers is critical in providing services to special needs--disabled--children, and outlines briefly a course designed to provide such training offered by Montgomery College in Montgomery County, Maryland. (BB)