In this descriptive study, family day care providers reported making primarily safety-based modifications to enhance the physical environment of their homes for infant care. Less extensive modifications were made to support infant exploration, stimulation, interaction, and retreat. Use of modifications was associated with number of years providers…

Telephone interviews with 199 rural midwestern married mothers of children aged 0-12 examined the previous week's use of child caregivers, including relatives, family daycare homes, and child care centers. Includes descriptive information and mothers' perceptions of the strong and weak points of child caregivers. Contains 31 references. (SV)

Assessment of the school-age child care needs of 3,697 rural residents in six Oregon counties found that (1) only 29% of children did not need after-school care; (2) affordable care is a serious need; (3) older youth and family providers were primary care sources, indicating a need for training and support; and (4) day care problems affect…

Analyzed naturalistic data from 12 2- to 3-year-old children and their mothers to assess the relative contribution of complexity and input frequency to wh-question acquisition. Results suggests that the relationship between acquisition and complexity may be a by-product of the high correlation between complexity and the frequency with which…

Perceptions of the child sexual abuse investigation process have received little research attention. In this study, interviews were conducted with 51 children and 124 primary carers where the children had made clear disclosures of sexual abuse. While the majority reported positive experiences of the professionals involved, there were problems with…

This editorial contemplates some of the implications of the possibility that child abuse and neglect might be a genetic disorder by describing a 1996 study (Brown, et al.) that seemed to identify a nurturing gene in mice and described the symptoms of its absence. Parallels between mouse and human displays of non-nurturing behavior are discussed.…

Training for caregivers of elderly nursing home residents focused on the use of reminiscence for psychological and emotional health. One technique taught was the memory box, an old suitcase filled with objects sorted into themes to stimulate memories. (SK)

Interviews with nine students preparing for child care work explored how aesthetic concepts of harmony and tension contribute to their vocational goals and perceptions. Harmony is experienced in love of children, enjoyment of teamwork, and personal mission. Tension results from low wages and lack of societal respect. (Contains 41 references.) (JOW)

Shortcomings in the measurement of cultural competence of health care and social service providers include the following: (1) failure to define individual and organizational cultural competence; (2) failure to include client/patient perspectives in design; and (3) failure to test reliability, validity, and psychometric properties of instruments.…

Businesses are responding to the needs of employees with responsibilities for family caregiving with a number of initiatives: information, counseling, direct services such as intergenerational care centers, and such benefits and family leave and financial assistance for dependent care. (SK)

Summarizes categories, methods of research on adjustment by family members to providing care to Alzheimer's patients. Critically evaluates state of knowledge produced by studies; suggests ways of strengthening future investigations. Organizes review around psychological, social, and health factors as antecedents or correlates of similar categories…

Nursing educators are torn between producing graduates who are employable in the health care marketplace and educating nurses who are capable of transforming the health care system. One way to resolve this conflict is to make caring a core value in the hidden curriculum--the way students are taught to think and feel as nurses. (Author)

Compared participants (N=24) in six-session educational support group offering family caregivers information about schizophrenia, training in problem-solving skills for managing patient behavior, and greater access to social support and community resources with matched controls (N=24). Participant caregivers reported significantly reduced anxiety…

This study undertook to identify the characteristics of caretakers who commit child sexual abuse. Among 2,372 cases of founded sexual abuse in Iowa, biologically unrelated caretakers were substantially overrepresented, and male perpetrators greatly outnumbered female perpetrators. Implications for practice are discussed. (Author/TE)

Suggests evaluation and feedback strategies that are necessary for effective evaluation of early childhood programs that are constantly changing to meet the diverse needs of children. Evaluation strategies must be dynamic if they are to have any real impact. (DR)