"Taking the Lead: Investing in Early Childhood Leadership for the 21st Century" is an initiative to support quality in early childhood programs by promoting director credentialing and leadership development in the early care and education field. In developing its two initiatives, "Experiments in Director Credentialing" and…

Noting that even one caring adult can help make a child more capable of handling later stressors, this paper lists some strategies for building a sense of specialness in young children in group care contexts. Also presented are ways to enhance optimism and combat attitudes of helplessness and pessimism among children. The paper outlines a pattern…

Seven day care centers in the Denver-Boulder (Colorado) metropolitan an effort to identify the kinds of subsidies they received and to estimate the importance of these subsidies for the cost of services. The sites included a Head Start program, three nonprofit centers, two family day care providers, and an infant care center. Labor accounted for a…

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, this study involved a statewide survey to assess the salary levels, benefits, working conditions, and turnover rates for teaching and administrative staff of child care centers and Head Start programs in Pennsylvania in 1992. A random sample of 2,500 licensed, full-day…

This curriculum includes both an instructor's manual and a student handbook and is intended to be used in community colleges to provide preservice and inservice training about mainstreaming of young children with disabilities to child care providers. The curriculum is planned to be a 4 credit-hour course presented in eight modules. Each module…

A study guide for the Child Development Associate (CDA) Professional Preparation Program, this book contains essential information on the basics of good professional practice for early childhood educators. It includes self-study activities, checklists, and resources for additional information. Unit 1 provides an overview of the early childhood…

Increasingly, the operation of family day care homes in communities throughout the country is being jeopardized by restrictive local zoning requirements specifying uses of property. The majority of providers operate in areas where they are not specifically permitted "by right" or "by special exception," doing so at risk of being challenged or…

A study guide for the Child Development Associate (CDA) Professional Preparation Program, this Spanish-language guidebook contains essential information on the basics of good professional practice for early childhood educators. It includes self-study activities, checklists, and resources for additional information. Unit 1 provides an overview of…

The training needs of Ohio eldercare workers, with a special emphasis on the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) population, were studied. A task force created a job matrix of the 100 most prevalent positions in the eldercare work force. For each identified job title, occupational tasks, related training, and wage and salary information were…

This booklet explains why and how child care workers should unionize. Chapter 1 outlines the individual and professional advantages of unionization and traces the history of unions and the American labor movement. Chapter 2 presents 12 steps in organizing a work site. It is proposed that child care workers: (1) explore and promote interest in…

This booklet will help parents identify what they want in a family child care program. It suggests topics to consider and describes general characteristics of high quality programs and providers. Sections focus on defining family child care, choosing a program, allowing time to find a good program, being considerate of providers, paying for child…

The Child Care Workers Alliance takes the position that child care professionals have the right to raise rates to a level at which they can make a living wage without feeling guilty. This booklet provides ideas and strategies for raising rates. Introductory materials provide background information, steps to raising rates, and a rationale for…

Part of a series for 4-H members between 9 and 19 years of age, this age-graded guide is designed to help children and adolescents: (1) understand the toddler's physical, mental, social, and emotional growth; (2) learn to care for a toddler; and (3) choose types of play that toddlers enjoy. Contents include suggestions on projects that 4-H members…

This booklet for 4-H members who elect to undertake projects in child caregiving provides guidelines and information that help children and adolescents between 9 and 19 years of age: (1) understand infants' physical, mental, social, and emotional growth; (2) learn to care for a baby and promote feelings of security and safety; and (3) choose types…

A Gallup/National Federation of Independent Business telephone survey of 950 small businesses was undertaken to determine attitudes toward parental leave. The sample was subdivided into four groups: businesses with 2-14 employees, 15-49 employees, 50-99 employees, and 100 or more employees. Questions pertained to existing policies for time off for…