Current psychological literature suggests that positive representations of self and others are associated with sensitivity of caregiving. This study was designed to examine the relationship among self-perceptions, perceptions of family functioning, and caregiving schemata in 618 undergraduates (437 females, 181 males) enrolled in Introductory…

Developed for use by staff participating in the Child Care Food Program (CCFP), this guide presents information on infant development, infant nutrition, safe food handling, and infant meal pattern requirements. The guide has an easy-to-read reference, covering general feeding issues as well as specifics of the CCFP infant meal pattern. All foods…

This annotated bibliography and resource guide for early childhood trainers aims to provide an overview of the training materials used in the Child Development Associate (CDA) training programs throughout the country. The bibliography contains citations of books, training manuals, modules, and audiovisual materials and lists more than 140 printed…

This cooperative extension bulletin is designed to help family and professional caregivers understand dementia in later life and learn to cope more effectively with the changes resulting from a progressive dementing illness. The first three sections describe the differences between senility and dementia, causes of dementia, and adjustments that…

Changes being implemented in welfare policies and programs as a result of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 have the potential to help or hurt children by changing family income, by changing the level of parental stress or parenting styles, and by changing children's access to comprehensive family support…

These six fact sheets from Child Care Aware are designed to help parents ease their children's transition to child care. The first fact sheet, "Before Your Child's First Day," discusses tips such as: (1) "prepare your child"; (2) read and look at picture books about child care; and (3) "prepare yourself." The second fact sheet, "First Day Tips,"…

Based on a 3-year observational study of children at play in a variety of settings, this book is a description of the play behavior of preschool children. In Section I, "Playing with Ideas," the chapters are: (1) "Questions about the World"; (2) "What Is, What Was, and What Will Be"; and (3) "Questions about Life." In Section II, "Active Play"…

The overall purpose of this study was to identify continuing education needs of family day care providers in Virginia. Specific objectives were to: (1) identify the most suitable method of provider training; (2) learn how providers usually obtain information about young children, what information they have found to be most valuable, and what they…

In the past 20 years, the percentage of married women in the Canadian labor force has risen dramatically. Despite women's increased participation in the labor force, child care and housework are still largely done by women. While the difficulty of combining work and family responsibilities can result in work/family conflicts, a variety of…

The role of child day care licensing is examined in the context of expanding requirements for provider training. A brief background statement is followed by discussion of the training components of goals, content, and delivery systems. Discussion of the role of the licensing agency focuses on what counts as acceptable training, whether licensing…

This list of 136 resources was compiled to help family day care trainers and providers share information and ideas about training materials used across the country. The list includes books, training manuals, modules, and audiovisual materials. The printed materials and audiovisual materials are indexed separately by function area and setting. The…

Research on play and its positive effect on children's development is abundant. Adults can ensure that children receive the full benefits of play by becoming effective playleaders and by guiding children through enriching play experiences. Adults need to let children know that play is an important part of their educational experience. This can be…

Research indicates that active adult involvement in children's play can increase the social level of play and have a beneficial impact on children's cognitive growth. To become appropriately involved in children's play, daycare providers and other adults need to understand how time, space, experiences, and materials affect children in play…

This book presents a comprehensive collection of information concerning different forms of child care, the quality and availability of care, the functioning of the child care market, and programs that the government uses to support this market. Following an introduction that outlines the negative consequences of splitting education and child care,…

In November 1993, the Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF) surveyed the child care community to determine whether the Federation's services, publications, and programs were relevant to the providers of child care in Canada. A questionnaire was sent to Federation members, Canadian child care centers, the family day care network, and organizations…