The passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (P.L. 110-351) represents the most significant federal child welfare reform in more than a decade. While the scope and nature of the federal reforms are far reaching, the actual impact of the legislation on children will depend largely upon how it is implemented.…

Prior to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990), services for a child with special needs were limited in the typical preschool setting. Traditional early intervention approaches often relied on a normative assessment perspective that focused on the attainment of typical developmental milestones and tended to emphasize the concept…

The well-being of caregivers of children with spina bifida and other conditions is an important topic. We interviewed the primary caregivers of 98 children aged 0-17 years with spina bifida sampled from a population-based birth defects registry in Arkansas and the caregivers of 49 unaffected children. Measures of caregiver well-being were compared…

This article is concerned with the under-representation of Indigenous workers in mainstream childcare services and the associated problem of the under-representation of Indigenous children in such services. Specifically, it focuses on workforce issues that serve as barriers to both attracting and/or retaining Indigenous staff. The research methods…

Purpose: This study introduces the first National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS), a major advance in the data available about certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and a rich resource for evidence-based policy, practice, and applied research initiatives. We highlight potential uses of this new survey using select population estimates as examples of…

The position of nanny as a career option for child care/child development/early childhood education graduates is examined. This study surveyed nannies randomly selected from the 1991 International Nanny Association Directory to determine why nannies leave their employing families. Surveys were mailed to 160 nannies; 62 (39%) nannies responded.…

Several reports on the link between the economy and the quality of child care indicate that: (1) early care and education benefits two generations of workers; (2) quality is essential to, but is rarely found in, early care and education programs; and (3) the key to quality is the professional development of practitioners. A vision of dynamic…

This paper examines four issues relevant to planning the use of funding resources for installing a career development system for practitioners in the early childhood education field. The first issue concerns the need for a career development system. Arguments for the importance of such a system are based on the need for a dynamic career ladder and…

Florida's District 12 Veterans Administration (VA) wanted to deliver medical case-management services to veterans not receiving home-based services due to the geographic restrictions of the VA's Hospital-Based Home Care Program. The Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS) desired to demonstrate the effectiveness of nurse…

California's Family Day Care Training Program was designed to recruit and train, in 7 weeks, Lao, Vietnamese, and Chinese refugees to establish their own state-licensed, family day care homes. Topics in the program's curriculum include an introduction to family day care, state licenses for family day care, state licensing requirements for family…

Presents child care-related work experiences and training, teaching activities, and recurrent problems in the provision of child care as reported in a survey of 266 family day care providers in Texas. Results indicated training needs. Some Texas family day caregiver training programs are briefly described. (NH)

This paper asserts that the more enriching the interactions and experiences that parents and child caregivers provide to very young children, the more chances they are providing for growing neural connections and pathways in the brain to support language, reasoning, and planning skills; mental health and emotional well-being; and motor…

Four caregivers used a constant time delay procedure to teach leisure skills to four adolescents or adults with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities. A multiple probe designed across behaviors and replicated across leisure learners demonstrated the success of the participant-instructors in delivering systematic instruction. (Author/CR)

Discusses the role confusion early intervention counselors in South Africa are likely to face, urging a distinction between disciplinary counseling and developmental counseling. Addresses particularly the black counselor's role in South Africa's caregiving system, highlighting the importance of issues of cultural diversity and sensitivity. (EV)

Compared caregiving activities of Israeli kibbutzim mothers, nonfamilial caregivers, and city homemaker mothers. Found that 5-month-olds differed in exploration and vocalization with different caregivers. Caregiving activities, interactions, and developmental processes provided by kibbutz mothers and "metepelet" (child care specialists)…