Serving as a vehicle for raising the profile of and thereby gaining recognition for the important research and development work being conducted in Canada in support of children and families, the "Research Connections Canada" series compiles research and/or development papers as well as background papers, analytical literature reviews,…

This study examined the extent to which existing awards and qualifications for the paraprofessional workforce in Scottish early education and care are appropriate to the needs of the sector as it responds to increasing regulation and concerns about quality. The study considered whether the qualifications provided a clear framework, how the…

Describes the common symptoms of stress exhibited by young children including: (1) social or behavioral; (2) physical; (3) emotional; (4) cognitive; and (5) language. Addresses causes of stress, which typically represent change, fear, or loss in children. Offers strategies for easing children's stress including muscle relaxation, deep breathing,…

Examined the impact of various factors on perceived emotional strain of adult son and daughter caregivers of frail elderly parents. Daughters experienced higher levels of emotional strain than did sons. Daughters' emotional strain predicted by interference with work and quality of relationship with parent. Sons' stressors also discussed. (RJM)

Explains why play is an important tool for understanding and diagnosing children's problems, outlining signals for concern in children's play. Focuses on three areas of play where deviations can be observed: thematic content, style of play, and social interactions in play. Suggests strategies for dealing with these deviations, examining the role…

This study represents an attempt to build a home-based intervention package wherein caregivers encourage positive interactions between young children with autism and their siblings. Using a previously validated, classroom-based social skills intervention package, caregivers in three homes were able to produce substantial improvements in sibling…

Discusses what parents in the 1990s need from child care and caregivers, including support, flexibility, and similarity in child-rearing attitudes. Suggests that caregivers keep these needs in mind--and strive to meet at least some of them--as a way to improve parent involvement in early childhood education. (HTH)

Researchers surveyed 213 caregivers to test the influence of personality traits on negative outcomes of caregiving. High scores on a measure of neuroticism indicated increased levels of burden and health complaints both at initial and follow-up assessments. Personality traits and other variables remained consistent over time for caregivers…

Examined caregiver reading patterns with infants in metropolitan day care centers. Found effects for infant age, group size, and gender on caregiver's reading habits. Found that caregiver reading was quite brief for all ages and that caregivers found it easier to read to female than to male infants. Findings suggest the need for reading courses…

Examines the home care situation of urban chronically ill men and women and their caregivers in China. Findings reveal that women serve as caregivers in the majority of the cases and often are elderly spouses with health problems of their own. Physical, social, psychological, and financial problems experienced by these patients create an enormous…

Describes normal aspects of sexuality during the early years, including masturbation and children's fanciful sexual ideas. Presents inappropriately mature sexual knowledge as a danger sign of abuse. Discusses whether and what teachers/caregivers should tell children about sexuality, and notes the importance of teaching staff about sexual identity…

This study examined predictors of caregivers' affectionate and angry behaviors in child care settings. Findings suggested that work environment had a greater relation with caregivers' affectionate behavior, whereas more internal, negative perceptions were linked to expressing anger in the classroom. Caregivers' training became very important to…

Observed Hindi-speaking Indian caregivers and their children to examine how caregivers use language to create diverse conceptions of personhood. Distributional analyses examined the proportion of person references and class-based patterns of co-occurrence between particular social acts and person references. Discussion explored ways in which…

Secure attachment between child and parent is one of the most important factors in early learning and development--and for children in infant-toddler programs, teachers are a critical third partner in this relationship dance. That's why child care administrators and educators need this warm and practical program guide. An in-depth blueprint for…

Researchers have noted divergent findings with respect to the relationships of practitioners' beliefs and their implementation of recommended practices. With Q-sort methods, this study examined practitioners' beliefs about practices in early intervention with samples of current practitioners (n = 211) and preservice students (n = 142). Findings…