Compared participants (n=131) and non-participants (n=59) of support groups for families of persons with mental illness. Results indicate that participants used fewer services, provided care to a relative requiring greater assistance, and were more likely to live with the relative. Participants attended groups to obtain emotional support and…

Examines the job-oriented interpretative patterns, plans of action, and professional knowledge of sociopedagogical actors working with children and adolescents out of school. Concludes that actors working with children and adolescents out of school usually rely more on their own biographical resources than on academic or professional knowledge.…

Increasingly, when children are not safe in their homes, they are placed with relatives. This article discusses how factors such as availability of foster care, attitudes toward extended families, and policies regarding payment for care costs have contributed to the growth in kinship care. Research on kinship care is reviewed, and needed policies…

Aging mothers who lived with an adult child experiencing mental retardation (n=308) or mental illness (n=73) were studied to determine the antecedents and consequences of the end of coresidence. Consequences of this transition with respect to maternal burden and depressive symptoms were similar for most participants. (Author/MKA)

Notes that children are "wired" to learn, and cites research indicating the importance of talking to an infant for his or her neuron and subsequent cognitive development. Suggests reading aloud, providing positive feedback, responding verbally to the child's actions, and increasing vocabulary. (HTH)

Analyzes content of discussions to compare perceptions of parents, day-care providers, and other stakeholders regarding quality in early childhood services. Discusses affordability and accessibility, continuity of care, adaptation, qualifications, working conditions, social status of child care, curricula, parent/provider relationship, and…

Offers suggestions to early childhood educators for encouraging fathers' participation in their children's early education and care. Reviews the history of fathers' participation in care and their role in children's development throughout Erikson's first five stages of growth. Considers reasons for involving fathers in children's growth, including…

Studied nearly 150,000 maternal word-tokens used by low-income mothers in mother-child conversations. Found that 99 percent of maternal lexical input consisted of 3,000 most frequent word. Density of sophisticated words and density with which such words were embedded in helpful/instructive interactions at age 5 predicted over one-third of variance…

Highlights evidence of cultural variations in child attachment, noting how western values and meanings permeate attachment theory. Comparisons of the United States and Japan emphasize the cultural relativity of three core hypotheses of attachment theory related to: caregiver sensitivity, child social competence, and a secure base for exploring the…

Workshops examine the importance of rituals and manners in children's lives: (1) "Creating Community, Generating Hope, Connecting Future and Past: The Role of Rituals in Our Lives" (Neugebauer); (2) "Minding Our Manners...An Early Childhood Approach" (Parr); (3) "Respect Is a Verb: Help Children Put It into Practice"…

Describes the total cost of care, including both formal and informal services calculated using a market value approach, for a cohort of disabled elderly. The total annual cost of caring was estimated at $9,600; for most elders, the cost of a complete substitution of informal care for formal services, plus living expenses, was less costly than…

As part of a study that investigated the educational progress of 49 foster children, interviewed foster caregivers, social workers, and teachers about priorities in planning for foster care; shared responsibility among foster caregivers, social workers, and birth parents; and expectations about children's educational performance. (BC)

Study investigates reasons adolescents value their grandparents. Results show adolescents generally find their grandparents important and feel close to them because they provide affection, reassurance of worth, and reliable alliance. Early adolescents assigned more importance and meaning to their grandparents than middle and late adolescents.…

Presents strategies used in early childhood anti-bias workshops to promote understanding of the influences on identity development, including asking teachers to recall their earliest memory of differences. Discusses strategies to help participants recognize different forms of bias, such as analyzing materials with a group thinking process.…

Utilizes data from a prospective longitudinal study of at-risk children to explore multiple predictors of high school dropouts across development. Results reveal association of early home environment, quality of early caregiving, socioeconomic status, IQ, behavior problems, academic achievement, peer relations, and parent involvement with dropping…