Child Care in the 1990s

Child Care in the 1990s PDF

Author: Alan Booth

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-05-22

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1317782488

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Bringing together professionals from sociology, economics, psychology, and family studies, this volume presents papers from a symposium on child care that sought answers to each of the four questions listed in the table of contents. A lead speaker provided an answer, and discussants had a chance to critique the main presentation and set forth their own views. Each session also included a policy person to deal with issues from an applied perspective. The lead papers, review papers, and rejoinders constitute the contents of this volume. Interdisciplinary in scope, it deals with the central issue in a systematic way and attempts to present divergent points of view on each question. As such, it provides the reader with current information and a review of issues intended to provoke new ways of thinking about child care.

Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education PDF

Author: Dolores Stegelin

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Noting the separation of child-related policy makers from practitioners who know best what is good and appropriate for children, this anthology is designed as a guide for child-related policy development. The book's chapters are as follows: (1) "Early Childhood Policy" (Dolores A. Stegelin), providing an historical context and identifying eight important issues for early childhood in the 1990s; (2) "State Policy Related to Disadvantaged and At-Risk Preschoolers," (Bill Clinton), arguing that poverty, work, and family structure are primary challenges to the family, and that government should be a catalyst and partner to aid preschoolers; (3) "Birthing Collaborations in Early Care and Education" (Sharon Lynn Kagan), arguing the need for a federal policy commitment to collaboration; (4) "Beyond the Sandbox" (Robert A. Cervantes), discussing child care as a state policy issue and offering recommendations for statewide policy and practice; (5) "The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study, Similar Studies, and Their Implications for Public Policy in the United States" (Lawrence J. Schweinhart and David P. Weikart), proposing that early childhood policy should be driven by the need to alleviate crime, illiteracy, and poverty; (6) "Issues Related to Infant Child Care Policy" (Eleanor Stokes Szanton), showing how issues of infant and toddler policy are entangled with many of the nation's central domestic policy concerns and offering insight for policy based on research; (7) "Emerging Child Care Policy Issues" (Helen Blank), examining issues that must be addressed to make child care more available; (8) "The Role of the Corporation in Promoting Early Childhood Education and Care and Family Support Systems" (Ellen Galinsky), reviewing current and future corporate roles in promoting early childhood education and family support; (9) "Developing Appropriate Practice and the Challenge of Public School Reform" (Thomas Schultz), noting the significance of developmentally appropriate practice within the policy context for public education, the difficulty of implementing these concepts, and strategies for promoting such practice; (10) "Creating Change with the Public Schools" (Stacie G. Goffin), describing a collaboration between a public school district and a university to develop appropriate early childhood programs, and suggesting policy issues for public schools, teacher preparation, and certification standards; (11) "Federal Initiatives for Exceptional Children" (Karen S. Gallagher and R. J. Pat Gallagher), discussing public policy regarding exceptional children in terms of its relationship with the public school system; and (12) "Emerging Policy Issues" (Dolores A. Stegelin and Peggy M. Elgas), identifying critical variables in early childhood policy and summarizing recommendations. Each chapter contains references. (TM)

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-07-23

Total Pages: 587

ISBN-13: 0309324882

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Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

From Neurons to Neighborhoods

From Neurons to Neighborhoods PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2000-11-13

Total Pages: 610

ISBN-13: 0309069882

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How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.