Describes an assessment process and its use in planning early childhood programs. Information from parents and from observations of children was used to develop a comprehensive assessment of each child. The assessment was used to note the needs and interests of the children and extend their learning experiences. (SH)

Describes an employer-sponsored, parent cooperative, on-site child care center at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Discusses the effects of the center on the workplace and employees, the involvement of parents, benefits to parents and children, and disadvantages of workplace child care. (SH)

Four articles in this special section report on (1) Arizona curriculum for home-based caregivers of the elderly in rural communities (Epstein, Koenig); (2) educational programs for nursing home caregivers (Marsden); (3) extension programs for helping low-income elderly with money management (Koonce); and (4) energy education for the elderly…

This study of 39 families with a mentally handicapped adult member found no significant differences in physical care, domestic chores, and supervision for the 20 Down's syndrome and 19 autistic subjects. The brunt of caring fell upon mothers, with fathers helping mainly with supervision. Methods of coping with behavior problems differed between…

Presents model for assessing psychosocial factors that may influence family members' willingness to care for people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS): caregiver resources and coping characteristics, degree to which person with AIDS is held accountable, social support, familial obligation/affection, fears of acquiring human…

Head Start teachers and parents were randomly assigned to either an enhanced Collaborative Training (CT) or a Workshop Training (WT) program. CT participants were involved conjointly in experiential training that included guided practice and feedback from exemplary peers. Training methods were compared on trainees' satisfaction and later…

Interviewed 24 early-childhood service managers to study impact of government regulations on daily practices within a range of early-childhood services in southwest England. Found that the majority of respondents considered government regulations to be related to meeting minimum standards rather than to quality assurance and were confused about…

Despite rising demand for high-quality child care, the norm for early childhood staff is low salaries, few benefits, and difficult working conditions. This article provides an overview of compensation of early childhood professionals, and describes some state and local initiatives that address the need for funding and policies that support a…

Caretakers' psychological factors are related to premature termination of counseling for their children (N=85). General hostility, anxiety, depression, and paranoia were studied. Descriptive statistics, correlations of variables, and a predictive discriminant analysis are reported. Effects of caretaker variables on early termination of treatment…

Examined relationships between quality of center-based child care and infant cognitive and language development. Subjects were 79 African American 1-year-olds. Found that quality of infant care positively correlated with scores on standardized assessment of cognitive development, language development, and communication skills. Quality of care in…

Describes a group called the Southern Arizona Early Childhood Network, an eclectic collection of leaders invested in the well-being of young children, including directors, child care advocates, health care providers, teacher educators, teachers, and agency personnel. Discusses how the group serves as a forum to share information, experiences,…

Compared self-evaluation of quality of preschool teachers in Sweden to the evaluation by an external evaluator using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Found moderately high percent agreement between teachers and evaluator and among teachers at the same unit. Found highest agreement among teachers on socialization and communication.…

Argues that collaboration between Head Start and early intervention programs can improve accessibility to high quality child care and supports needed to reach and maintain self-sufficiency for low-income families of children with disabilities. Discusses how these systems can develop trusting collaborative relationships, increase affordability of…

Examined relationship between program involvement, status of addiction treatment, and outcomes for caregivers and children participating in a placement prevention program for substance-abusing mothers and other primary caregivers reported for child maltreatment. Findings indicated that nearly half the participants were able to complete addiction…

Examined relationship between mother-child conversational interactions when children were 30, 36, and 42 months old and children's recall of these activities 1 day and 3 weeks later. Found that at all ages, features of activities jointly handled and jointly discussed were remembered better than features jointly handled but discussed by mother only…