The effects of the Healthy Steps for Young Children Program: results from observations of parenting and child development

The Healthy Steps for Young Children Program (HS) is designed to provide support for new parents through the pediatrician's office. We present findings of the effect of HS on the quality of mother–child interaction, security of attachment, and child behavior using observational data from two of the HS sites that utilized a randomized treatment design. Results indicated that mothers participating in Healthy Steps were more likely to interact sensitively and appropriately than mothers in the comparison group at the second assessment point (age 34–37 months) but not at the first assessment point (age 16–18 months). There were no differences in child outcomes at either time point when the cross-sectional data were analyzed. However, the results of the longitudinal analysis (which included families who participated in the home observations at both Time 1 and Time 2) indicated that Healthy Steps participation was associated with greater security of attachment and fewer child behavior problems.     

Early Child Care and Education at Hull House: Voices from the Past, Challenges for the Future

Poverty, homelessness, lack of health care among families with young children—these problems of today were also faced by Jane Addams in Hull House 100 years ago. Hull House was a mini-community that offered a safe physical environment filled with beauty. It also served as a connection to the larger neighborhood and world while sheltering its early childhood programs. There were day nurseries, kindergartens, services for handicapped children, and kindergarten teacher education. Curricula were implemented that emphasized not only physical and cognitive development but also aesthetics to build the inner spirits of the children. Varieties of learning opportunities (many in the arts and humanities) were offered to the community. Advocacy was carried out based on information provided by residents surrounding Hull House—through neighborly conversations and carefully designed surveys. Paternalism was evident—curriculum and environment were reflective of the dominant society orientation, and advocacy was sometimes done for the community members. The issues raised by Hull House offer challenges for present and from early childhood programs—challenges in organizational structure, in provision of curriculum and learning experiences for young children and their families, and in joint advocacy efforts.     

Thresholds of Quality: Implications for the Social Development of Children in Center-based Child Care

We assessed the quality of center child care relationships with adults and peers for 414 children (ages 14 to 54 months). Classrooms were classified by ratio and group size provisions of the Federal Interagency Day Care Requirements (FIDCR) and by the Early Childhood and Infant and Toddler Environmental Rating Scales. Children cared for in classrooms meeting FIDCR ratios were more likely to be in classrooms rated as good or very good in caregiving and activities. Children in classrooms rated as good or very good in caregiving were more likely to be securely attached to teachers. Securely attached children were more competent with peers. Children cared for in classrooms meeting FIDCR group size were more likely to be in classrooms rated higher in activities. Children in classrooms rated high in activities were likely to orient to both adults and peers. Children with social orientations to adults and peers were more competent with peers.     

Shedding further light on the effects of various types and quality of early child care on infant-mother attachment relationship: the Haifa Study of Early Child Care

The Haifa Study of Early Child Care recruited a large-scale sample (N = 758) that represented the full SES spectrum in Israel, to examine the unique contribution of various child-care-related correlates to infant attachment. After controlling for other potential contributing variables--including mother characteristics, mother-child interaction, mother-father relationship, infant characteristics and development, and the environment--this study found that center-care, in and of itself, adversely increased the likelihood of infants developing insecure attachment to their mothers as compared with infants who were either in maternal care, individual nonparental care with a relative, individual nonparental care with a paid caregiver, or family day-care. The results suggest that it is the poor quality of center-care and the high infant-caregiver ratio that accounted for this increased level of attachment insecurity among center-care infants.     

Obstetrics and the family: Identification of mothers at risk for parenting failure,and methods of support

The nurturing of a child has been termed the “Irrational commitment” [1]—“the enduring, irrational commitment of one or more adults in care and joint activity with the child.” The paper examines ways of facilitating this kind of caring. It is not enough to utilise the extensive technology and skills now available in obstetrics and paediatrics if there is a failure to ensure that the parents are able to nurture and enjoy their new infant. Success can only be claimed if parents are assisted in establishing a mutually satisfying relationship with their infants, i.e. they make an irrational commitment to the nurturing of their children. Results from a study of early identification and prediction of major parenting difficulty within the maternity hospital [7] are given and some of the various methods of early intervention and support now being undertaken to assist in the establishment of good nurturing between mothers and infants are described.     

Child maltreatment as a function of cumulative family risk: Findings from the intensive family preservation program

This study examined child maltreatment as a function of cumulative family risk in a sample of at-risk families (N = 837) who were referred to an intensive family preservation program because of child behavior problems or suspected child abuse and neglect. The goal of this intensive family preservation program is to improve parenting skills and reduce immediate family stressors that may lead to an increased risk of child abuse and neglect. The findings indicate that the most prominent family risks comprising the cumulative risk scale in our sample were socio-economic disadvantage (e.g., income, unemployment, housing instability) and parental characteristics (e.g., mental/physical health, parental use of alcohol, domestic violence). Further, the results demonstrated a strong quadratic trend in the relationship between cumulative family risk and child maltreatment, and identified a risk threshold effect at three cumulative family risks after which the child risk for maltreatment increased exponentially. These findings are interpreted in the light of the current research on differentiative interventions, supporting differentiated services to the families with low vs. higher risk for child maltreatment.     

Children at risk for early academic problems: the role of learning-related social skills

Increasing evidence suggests that aspects of children’s learning-related social skills (including interpersonal skills and work-related skills) contribute to early school performance. The present investigation examined the association of work-related skills to academic outcomes at the beginning of kindergarten and at the end of second grade as well as characteristics of children with low work-related skills. Children were selected from a sample of 540 children based on low work-related skills scores on the Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scales, a teacher-rated scale. Results indicated that work-related skills predicted unique variance in academic outcomes at school entry and at the end of second grade, after controlling for kindergarten academic score and important background variables. In addition, children with poor work-related skills (n = 82) were found to differ from the overall sample on a number of child, family, and sociocultural variables including: significantly lower IQs, more behavior difficulties, and more medical problems, such as hearing and language problems. Finally, children with low work-related skills scored lower on academic outcomes at the beginning of kindergarten and at the end of second grade. Findings highlight the importance of early work-related skills in understanding successful school transition and early academic achievement.     

Step 10: Strives to Achieve the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to Promote Successful Breastfeeding: The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services

Step 10 of the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care is the Ten Steps to Baby-Friendly. These steps promote, protect, and support breastfeeding. Rationales for compliance with the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and a systematic review of the evidence related to the impact of the Ten Steps to Baby-Friendly on breastfeeding are presented.     

Child abuse screening: Implications of the limited predictive power of abuse discriminants from a controlled family study of pediatric social illness

The predictive value of a child abuse screening instrument on unselected populations is illustrated for varying hypothesized levels of child abuse prevalence in order to demonstrate outcome of a hypothetical national screening program. At any level of application, the prediction of false positives and false negatives suggests a low practical utility for an unacceptably high social cost.     

一种伙伴关系的建构:我国老年人长期照护问题研究

随着我国人口老龄化和高龄化程度的增加,尤其是在人口流动不断加速和空巢化现象突出的情况下,如何建构起能够满足老年人护理需求的服务体系,不仅是家庭问题,也是社会问题和市场问题,甚至是政治问题。通过对我国老龄化现状及老年人服务供给中存在问题的分析,建设从家庭、社会(社区)、政府和市场四个维度打造一个全方位的多维服务空间,以满足老年人的长期护理需求;这种多维空间的服务模式,事实上也是一种"伙伴关系"的建构,它具有现实可能性与实践的必要性,并可以探索出一种良好的合作机制。     

Engaging With Quality Improvement Initiatives: A Descriptive Study of Learning in the Complex and Dynamic Context of Everyday Life for Family Child Care Providers

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: This article reports on family child care providers’ views about their engagement with professional development programs, including providers who were and were not participating in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Los Angeles, California. Most providers participating in the study were taking active steps to improve their work with children, but only a few providers described themselves as satisfied with the programs available. First, we report on why providers chose to engage (or not) in formal professional development activities; specifically, we explore the relationship between career phase and engagement and the levels of participation reported by seasoned providers. Second, we describe the way many providers strategically self-customized their quality improvement (QI) activities by drawing flexibly on available programs or by finding a coach who would work with them on their specific needs. Practice or Policy: Our findings suggest that in order to increase engagement with formal QI systems, designers of professional development supports must better align these supports with the needs and interests of family child care providers in terms of content and modes of delivery. We propose the concept of just-in-time professional development as 1 way to make QI offerings more responsive to some family child care providers’ needs.     

博大:源于对存在的敬畏——评冯玉雷长篇小说《敦煌·六千大地或者更远》

冯玉雷的《敦煌·六千大地或者更远》是一部具有深厚文化底蕴和学术价值的文化小说。作者怀着对敦煌文化的敬畏,精心构建了敦煌这一巨大的文化意象,发掘出沙洲驼队这一独特的历史存在,对敦煌文化的博大宽容和西部精神进行了精到而透彻的阐释。本文认为小说的成功取决于作者宽广的胸怀、丰富的历史文化知识和科学严谨的治学态度,及其对历史文化、国家民族的忧患意识和他对六千大地上芸芸众生的悲悯情怀。     

Repeated reports for child maltreatment among intimate partner violence victims: Findings from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being

ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence (defined as any physical violence during the last 12 months or previously) among mothers who maltreat their children, and to examine whether mothers’ experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) are associated with repeated reports (rereports) of children to Child Protective Services (CPS) during the following 18 months.MethodsData for the analyses were from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), a national probability study of children investigated for child maltreatment. The sample of 5,501 children (ages 0–14) was randomly selected from the families who entered the US child welfare system between October 1999 and December 2000. The analysis sample was restricted to 1,236 families in which caregivers were: (1) the alleged perpetrators of the child maltreatment at baseline (independently of substantiation status) and (2) the biological mothers (n = 1,212 or 98.6%), adoptive mothers (n = 17 or 1%), or stepmothers (n = 7 or 0.3%) of children not placed in out-of-home care.ResultsChildren of mothers physically abused by an intimate partner during the last 12 months or previously at the intake interview (44%) were twice as likely as children of mothers who had not experienced such violence to be rereported to CPS (29% vs. 14%, Odds Ratio = 2.0, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.1–3.4). Rereports occurred almost twice as quickly for children of mothers who experienced IPV compared to children of mothers who had not experienced IPV (Hazard Ratio = 1.9, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.1–3.0).ConclusionsThe higher risk and speedier rereports of child maltreatment associated with intimate partner violence highlights the need for universal assessment and provision of services for IPV among families that are investigated by CPS.     

高清摄像机几个技术难题的解决方法——以松下AJ-3700高清摄像机为例

高清电视相对标清电视技术标准上有很大差异,一方面表现为高清设备操作要求更为科学、严格,需要更多辅助设备对摄像机进行控制;另一方面高清设备同时也给创意者更大的自由发挥空间,但前提是创作者必须熟悉设备的技术特点。结合松下AJ-HPX3700MC就高清摄像机技术及其应用问题进行探讨。     

高校文科如何承担自己的历史使命--学习《中共中央关于进一步繁荣发展哲学社会科学的意见》

面对改革开放条件下形成的新的文化结构和生活方式，哲学社会科学应当强化自己的解释力。哲学社会科学需要社会支持，这种支持应当来自于内心的价值取向真正基于对科学本质的把握和真诚的人文追求。哲学社会科学更需要自强，其社会地位是依靠解释事物、指导实践和自我发展的能力而确立的：哲学社会科学的发展需要学术新人，还需要恰当的学科发展规范。     

‘Bowing from the heart’: An investigation into discourses of professionalism and the work of caring for students in further education

Since their incorporation in 1993, further education (FE) colleges in England have been responsible for their own staffing and, faced with funding constraints as well as recruitment and retention targets, some have introduced a new category of staff referred to here as ‘learning support workers’ (LSWs). Though their employment conditions and specific duties vary considerably, LSWs' work often includes providing individual care for students. In this small‐scale study, using semi‐structured interviews, the perceptions of some teachers and LSWs about the nature of their relationships with each other and with students are investigated. The study is set broadly in the context of debates about the impact of public sector reform on FE colleges and teachers. A discourse analysis approach is adopted in discussion of the data. The authors conclude that although they are differently positioned in relation to traditional discourses of professionalism, both teachers and LSWs are perceived to be carrying out what Hochschild termed ‘emotional labour’. The contradictory nature of emotional labour is also highlighted. Some of the implications of employing a new group of workers in FE are discussed.     

EATE and the Education of Primary School Teachers: problems and solutions seen from the perspective of a centre for primary teacher education

Abstract

The need for enterprise awareness is acknowledged: however, analysis of ‘enterprise’ reveals an ambiguity between enterprise as a personal quality, and enterprise as the activity of the entrepreneur. This creates conflict for those engaged in the education of primary school teachers. It is argued that both concepts of enterprise have something of value to offer Primary Education, and that both are concerned with the practical achievements of the educator. A model for implementation of the EATE initiative is proposed which resolves a conflict between the ideal and the instrumental in Primary Education. This provides a synthesis which allows for a productive partnership between EATE and institutions concerned with the education of primary school teachers.