Outlines 10 misconceptions about young children and block play that discourage teachers, caregivers, and parents from using blocks. Also discusses ways in which these misconceptions can be resolved so that young children in any home or program can enjoy the benefits of regular block play. (BB)

Providers' demographic characteristics, training, support networks, business practices, and stability of services were examined relative to their caregiving practices. Results from a schematic model approach suggest correlations between some of these factors and variances in ratings of caregiver practices. (LB)

Describes efforts of the Child Study Center at San Diego University to mainstream infants with disabilities or special needs into a "regular" developmentally appropriate child care programs. (BB)

Describes three typical routes by which people become early childhood professionals: the traditional, parental, and serendipitous routes. Discusses the conceptual model of the career lattice, which the National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development plans to promote. (LB)

Maintains that the real solution to demands for high-quality, affordable, readily available infant/toddler child care is society's recognition of the value of parenting both for the nation as a whole and for individual development, and the movement of child care roles and responsibilities from the exclusive realm of motherhood to include fathers.…

Examines the relationship between play and environmental and biological factors and individual differences. Explores correlates of morbidity, nutrition, and caregiving environments on toddlers' play sophistication in Egypt. Suggests that variability in children's object versus social play may be a function of the goodness of fit between child and…

Mothers in the Mother-Infant Communication Project (MICP), designed to facilitate caregivers' uses of communicative interaction strategies with their high-risk infants, scored better than comparison mothers on caregiving environment quality. Children of MICP mothers who received a group experience in addition to home visits performed better on…

Discusses the developmental appropriateness of implementing multicultural education in infant and toddler programs. Suggests ways to help bring multicultural education into the infant and toddler classroom. (BB)

Explores the impact on children's activities and staff behavior of removing clocks and watches from an early childhood classroom. Describes how removing old patterns of time organization required teacher reflection about taken-for-granted scripts for time and permitted them to invent new scripts that were more supportive of developmentally…

Gives an overview of the major theoretical perspectives on how children develop the capacity for self-regulation and how theorists and researchers suggest that the social and physical environment can nurture it. Suggests ways that caregivers and teachers can support the development of self-regulation in children from infancy through the primary…

Examined the transition of 10 children to day care. Found that separation from parent was difficult for one child and that a caring teacher, opportunities for exploration, and support in those activities assisted in overcoming separation difficulties. Identified the caregiver-child relationship as important for supporting children in their…

Reviews Click's book, which explains the development of children during middle childhood; discusses the role of the many individuals involved in a child care facility; introduces developmentally appropriate practices and programs for cultural and linguistic diversity; and describes how to implement a variety of activities. Finds that despite…

Examined teenage mothers' transition to mothering as shaped by family (n=16) caregiving practices. Families demonstrating adversarial care experienced conflict over infant care with the mother, whereas families with a responsive ethic of care shared caregiving with the mother in a highly fluid manner. Provides suggestions for responsive…

Twelve Swedish day-care centers were studied concerning patterns of adult behavior towards children, and adult intentions, attitudes, and norms regarding work and interpersonal relations. Found that patterns of adult behavior were proscribed by three different center climates: future focused, present focused, and combined. Three patterns of adult…

Analyzes a sample of 695 elderly adults to determine the elasticity of informal social support systems in response to declining health and the effects of such support on their health outcomes. Findings indicate that the extent of informal support is more likely to be bound by the social support network size than by the demand for care associated…