This discussion examines trends in American society and family life in the context of early education and alternative child care programs of the future. It is suggested that social problems arise when some aspects of society change while other intimately related aspects lag behind, especially when the lagging circumstances are improving but not…

Designed for caregivers who work with infants in day care centers, family day care programs, Home Start infant programs, and programs for the developmentally disabled, this book provides guidelines for establishing a respectful, responsive, and reciprocal relationship between the caregiver and the infant. Ten principles for promoting this kind of…

This paper reviews research reported in the last 10 years on the effects of day care on children and their families. The review is organized around the following areas: attachment and emotional development; psycho-social development; intellectual and cognitive development; health and nutritional effects; the effect of caregiver stability; the…

Recent research on early brain development holds several implications for parents, teachers, health professionals, and policymakers. This report, based on the proceedings from a 1996 national conference on the importance of early brain development for the nation's future well-being, highlights major findings, summarizes their implications for…

Noting that the role of culture in the development of child attachment provides a provocative arena for debate among a wide array of scholars, this book details two studies of cultural differences in the meanings given to attachment behavior by middle- and working-class Anglo and Puerto Rican mothers. The book reviews the cultural adaptationism…

The Fathering Indicators Framework (FIF) is an evaluation tool designed to help researchers, practitioners, and policymakers conceptualize, examine, and measure change in fathering behaviors in relation to child and family well-being. This report provides a detailed overview of the research and theory informing the development of the FIF. The FIF…

This case study used a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of three children starting child care, the adult who accompanied them to the center during the settling-in period, and one of the child caregivers. Data were collected by means of field notes, videotapes, interviews with the mother and teacher, journal entries by the…

Despite the apparent universality of loneliness and its link to psychosocial maladjustment, research on loneliness has emerged rather recently in the history of psychology. This book brings together varied theories and lines of research on loneliness among children and adolescents to provide a source for future research. The chapters are: (1)…

Noting that millions of young American children are at-risk because they have been denied bonding and communication with a caring adult, this book serves as a call for national attention and provides a guide for developing the parenting skills needed by today's parents and child caregivers. The book contends that caregivers' qualifications must…

Training materials in special section include "Places for Babies: Infants and Toddlers in Groups," by Jim Greenman; "Bonding with Your Babies," by Alice S. Honig; "The Wonder of the Everyday," by Amy Laura Dombro; "The Dual Challenge: Meeting the Needs of Parents and Babies," by Karen Miller; and…

An attachment theory framework is applied toward understanding the emergence of depressive symptomatology and lower perceived competence in maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Confirmed hypotheses that maltreated children with nonoptimal patterns of relatedness show elevated depressive symptomatology and lower competence, whereas nonmaltreated…

We describe the process of relationship-based intervention and associated changes in children and teachers' relationships and behaviors within center-based child care and examine the circumstances under which changes were most likely to occur. The relationship-based intervention had three components: research partners in each participating…

This paper begins by outlining four aims of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, namely: (1) to create developmental environments which facilitate interaction between adults and children; (2) to develop adults' sensitivity for children and to increase their level of knowledge of the young child's needs; (3) to give adults the ability to…

In making the transition to preschool, some children exhibit behaviors that demonstrate an inability to function independently during parts of the school day. One such behavior is clinging, or the need for unusually frequent physical contact with the teacher. This study evaluated the efficacy of a social skills package and Premack contingency…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) the development and promotion of healthy attachment of foster children to their biological and foster parents; (2) identification of attachment problems; (3) management of behavior…