Background checks involve gathering information from state and federal databases to determine if child care providers have a history of child abuse or other criminal convictions that would make them unacceptable for working with children. Background checks include state criminal history checks, state child abuse registry checks, and Federal Bureau…

This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series focuses on the ethical dilemmas encountered by those working in early childhood services in Australia. The booklet details some common ethical dilemmas and contains the text of the AECA Code of Ethics. The booklet includes background information on the code,…

The rapid growth of kinship foster care--full-time parenting of children by relatives or other adults who have a kinship bond with a child--has caught many child welfare agencies off guard. This monograph presents information needed by professionals, agencies, institutions, communities, and organizations to develop and provide services to kinship…

Noting that meeting foster children's needs with sensitivity and compassion creates challenges for foster parents and helping professionals, this booklet narrates the experiences of two foster children to launch a discussion of challenges faced by foster children and appropriate child welfare intervention strategies. Part 1 tells the story of…

This book integrates traditional understandings of care of the dying and bereaved with the use of arts and other forms of cultural creativity in therapy and funeralization. Authors provide insights into the practical aspects of caring for the dying and bereaved as well as new understandings of creativity. Chapters include: (1) "The Knowledge…

Licensing requirements are often regarded as minimum standards that result in only a basic level of care. In fact, the minimum standards that licensing requires can be as high or low as licensing rules permit. Further, in almost all cases, licensing requirements provide a foundation upon which higher standards can be built. The relationship…

Describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a training program in the primary prevention of childhood mental disorders for caregivers, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Cites the program's positive impact, as measured by increases in participants' knowledge and skills. (Author/MJL)

Social interaction and play behavior were compared in community-based infant day care and at home for two matched groups of 18-month-old infants. Adult-infant, infant-peer, and infant-toy interaction were time-sampled. (Author/SS)

Identifies the factors associated with elderly caregiving burden among Asian Indians. Generally, elderly parents experience a high level of social isolation. Caregivers express concerns over lack of informal and formal resources, and a large portion of caregivers feel a heavy burden of catering to the needs of two generations of dependents, their…

The Greenspan-Lieberman Observational System Revised was used to evaluate characteristics of dyadic interactions between 10 hearing mothers and hearing toddlers (HH), 10 deaf mothers and deaf toddlers (DD), and 10 hearing mothers and deaf toddlers (HD). Findings suggest that assessment instruments require some modifications and results must be…

Mother/infant dyads (n=152) with substance-abusing histories were assessed for evidence of disruption of primary caregiving or neglect during the first 18 months of life. Women who were younger, were heroin users, had two or more children, had other children in foster care, and reported depressive symptoms were most likely to have had disruptive…

Discusses issues related to dual attendance of school and before- or after-school programs, including structural differences between school and child care, transitions between two programs, recognition of children with adjustment difficulties, easing of the adjustment process, the importance of communication, and implications for the curricula and…

Contends that parents choose and are satisfied with substandard child care. Explores how educators expect available resources to influence parents' child care choices and how parents actually choose child care. Discusses possible explanations, including incongruence between parents' and educators' basic beliefs and values relating to child care…

Three studies evaluated a one-day program for training 24 paraprofessional staff in basic teaching skills for working with children with severe disabilities. All participants achieved the performance-based mastery criterion and successfully applied their teaching skills, as evidenced by skill development progress of students with severe…

Two articles discuss problems that infant caregivers deal with in their work place. The first article provides ideas on how to take care of and pacify a crying baby; the second discusses the experience of a caregiver in a group child-care situation which involved her own child, noting the transition from infant room to toddler room. (AA)