The focus of the Local Authorities Research Consortium's (LARC's) first year was to identify the early impact of integrated children's services and the features that promote or hinder success in improving outcomes for children and young people. The research operated in varied localities within the 14 participating Local Authorities (LAs), with one…

This report, released by The California Education Collaborative for Children in Foster Care, calls for a sharper focus on the educational outcomes for children in foster care and offers recommendations for strengthening the policies and systems that support them. The report describes the Collaborative's charge and products, briefly summarizes…

Slovenia has a single structure of preschool education system providing comprehensive education and care (educare) for children aged one to six (more precisely, from the end of maternity leave to the child's entering compulsory school). It is offered mostly by public preschool institutions (vrtci). Preschool education is a part of the whole system…

This contribution from France is based on recently-published documents and in particular on the "Report on the Public Infancy Service for Early Childhood," published in February 2007 by a department of the Prime Minister's Office, the Centre of Strategic Analysis, Social Affairs Section and "Early Childhood Education and Care, a…

The lay-led, community-based Supporting Parents Programme (SPP) aims to assist parents caring for children with long-term or life-limiting conditions through support and cognitive behavioral techniques. The value of the SPP from the perspectives of parent participants and tutors was examined in focus groups and telephone interviews. Data were…

In a recent issue of "Educational Action Research," Stephen Kemmis argued that action research should be participative in nature and involve "open communication" by engaging the voices and perspectives of others besides teachers, such as students, parents/caregivers and other community members. This article explores the…

An ongoing child care improvement study is being conducted of approximately 150 licensed child care providers in 4 Florida counties. The study is assessing the impact of state legislation, which mandated lower caregiver-to-child ratios and increased credentialing. Thus far, the study has found the following effects: (1) children's emotional and…

These 12 newsletter issues supply educational resources to providers of school-age child care. Each eight-page issue may include several feature articles; activities that providers can use with children; descriptions of professional development activities and training programs; information on books, pamphlets, and other educational materials in…

This pilot study, involving a mother and her 3-year-old child with developmental delays, developed, implemented, and evaluated a model of early intervention that incorporates family-centered assessment and intervention practices. The CARE (Caregiver Assistance, Resources, and Education) project model was both school-based and home-based. The…

A study conducted qualitative interviews with 12 newly qualified pedagogues from 3 different training colleges in 3 different locations in Denmark. The project was launched because the formerly more specialized training program was being replaced by one standard education program that would be a general education in which students would gain a…

In child-centered education programs, children construct their own knowledge from their experiences and interactions with the world around them, and caregivers foster children's growth and development by building on children's interests, needs, and strengths within a safe and caring environment. The Step by Step educational program developed a…

The Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act was amended in 1993 to address part-day child care programs and mandates that the Department of Human Services develop minimum requirements for part-day programs and license them. This document delineates the licensing requirements for part-day child care programs in Oklahoma. Requirements are…

Examines the question of crossing cultures in early childhood education settings. Suggests that parenting education should focus on clarifying parents' values and goals rather than on socializing them into the standard early childhood perspectives. Suggests that early childhood educators help people clarify their cultural values and examine how…

Difficulties in finding, keeping, and ensuring the competence of the direct support workforce in community developmental disability services has long been a challenge for individuals, families, providers, and policy makers. Direct support staff recruitment, retention, and competence are widely reported as one of the most significant barriers to…

The research on Tourette's disorder (TD), a neuropsychological disorder consisting of motor and phonic tics, has largely focused on individuals with TD and not on the caregivers of children with TD. We investigated the effects of several variables on caregiver strain of caregivers of children with TD, including perceived social support, caregiver…