Creating cooperation and empowerment in a child care center

Staff turnover in child development centers is epidemic, reaching as high as 41% (Whitebook, Howes, & Phillips, 1989a). Studies have shown that high rates of turnover are related to poor-quality child care, having detrimental effects on children in child care facilities (Clarke-Stewart, 1987; Galinsky, 1990; Whitebook et al., 1982). Variables associated with high staff turnover are low wages, poor working conditions, and minimal benefits.Michael Havercamp and Joanne Everts are with the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Nevada Reno.     

Maximizing your effectiveness

It is of no surprise to readers ofDay Care and Early Education that child care is an issue in today's political arena (Rieken, 1989; Willer, 1990). Many opinion polls, surveys, and interviews have been and are being conducted to gather public opinion regarding child care (Zinsser, 1989). Data are often collected and results presented in scholarly publications, and data are not fully utilized or are not presented in useful format to lay audiences.Sandra S. Osborne is Assistant Professor and Billie Warford is Adjunct Instructor and Director of the Early Childhood Project, Department of Health and Human Development, College of Education, Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.     

“Don't leave me”: Separation distress in infants,toddlers, and parents

Susan is ten months old. Her mother carries her into the child care center and sits her on the floor while she unpacks the diaper bag. Susan plays happily while her mother is in the room. When her mother tells her good-bye, Susan screams and crawls to the door after her.Lisa J. Godwin lives in Charlotte, NC. Melissa M. Groves is Assistant Professor, Child Development/Family Relations Program, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Diane M. Horm-Wingerd is Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development, University of Rhode Island.     

Learning through block play

Early childhood educators are greatly concerned about the value of classroom materials for young children's development. Blocks continue to be favored by many as a way of facilitating the developmental domains in children. In fact, blocks are considered the most useful and most used equipment in preschool and kindergarten programs. (Benish, 1978; Kinsmans & Berk, 1979). Variations in shapes, sizes, and weight foster learning experiences from infancy through early childhood.Janis R. Bullock is Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.     

Personnel interviewing for quality child care

Child care directors' interest in hiring well-qualified staff has increased as issues related to insurance and liability, media-hyped occurrences of child abuse in day care, and quality of child care in general have become of greater concern. Thus, many directors are seeking and developing thorough and innovative methods for interviewing prospective employees (Leak, 1982; Neugebauer, 1982; Sciarra and Dorsey, 1990).Jan Allen is Associate Professor, and Carol Catron Director, Campus Child Care Programs, Department of Child and Family Studies, College of Human Ecology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.     

Day care is more than a nursery school!

The increase in labor force participation by women as well as the increase in single-parent families has stimulated the need for full-day child care in the United States. As a result, many nursery school programs have extended their hours of service. These extended child care programs are basically of two types.Margaret A. King is Associate Professor, School of Home Economics, and Director, Child Development Center, Ohio University, Athens, OH.     

Longitudinal effects of quality preschool programs

Conclusion Commitment to excellence in quality preschool education plus reach-out programs that help families enhance the learning careers of their children can ensure true TLC for every child born in America — Tender Loving Care in Total Learning Centers.Alice Sterling Honing teaches at Syracuse University in the Department of Child and Family Studies, College for Human Development, in Syracuse, NY. She is an editorial board member ofDay Care & Early Education.This research review is based on testimony presented May 1988 to Senator Ted Kennedy, Chair, United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources on behalf of Senator Chiles's Early Intervention and Dropout Prevention Act of 1988, Bill S2034.     

Supporting the activity choices of two-year-olds

The participation of children under the age of three in center-based child care programs is a growing phenomenon. This increase has raised questions about which type of program is best for these children. The curriculum for infants and toddlers has received considerable attention over the last decade. As a result, the activities and experiences planned for infants and toddlers have been clearly defined (Honig, 1974; Honig and Lally, 1981; Lally and Gordon, 1982). However, the differences between young toddlers, preschoolers, and two-year-olds are less discernible, which has made it difficult for child care workers to plan environments which are developmentally appropriate for two-year-olds. Consequently, two-year-olds may spend time in programs where the curriculum may be more appropriate for younger toddlers and preschoolers.Margaret King is Associate Professor, School of Home Economics, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. Anne Oberlin is Master Teacher, Ohio University Child Development Center, Athens, Ohio. Terry Swank is Assistant Teacher, Ohio University Child Development Center, Athens, Ohio.     

ETR&D-development: An analysis of content and survey of future direction

This article reports on a study conducted to provide information on the direction of the development section of Educational Technology, Research and Development (ETR&D). The first part of the study involved an analysis of each article published in ETR&D-Development from 1989–1997. The second part of the study consisted of a survey of consulting editors to determine their perceptions of the topics and the types of articles that should be published in ETR&D-Development. The results will be used to guide the Development Editor in soliciting and selecting articles for publication in the journal. He is Professor of Learning and Instructional Technology at Arizona State University.     

The Three-ring Circus of Academia: How to Become the Ringmaster

The three-ring circus of academia is made up of research, teaching, and service. It is also characterized by continuous action that must be facilitated by the academic ringmaster. Academic life is more difficult than most anticipate because the responsibilities are time-consuming, diverse, and conflicting. Therefore, this article focuses on strategies faculty members can develop to meet these pressing demands. Specifically, we begin with a discussion of how to balance research, teaching, and service. We then highlight strategies faculty members can use in becoming an effective academic ringmaster. We conclude with a discussion of life outside the “big top.” Michelle L. Toews received a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from The Ohio State University and is currently an Assistant Professor of Family and Child Development at Texas State University-San Marcos. Her research interests include separation violence as well as conflict and coparenting after divorce. Ani Yazedjian received a Ph.D. in Human and Community Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is an Assistant Professor of Family and Child Development at Texas State. Her research interests focus on adolescents and the role of families, peers, and schools in promoting ethnic identity development. In addition, both authors are currently working on a longitudinal study examining personal and internal variables as predictors of college adjustment and achievement.     

Scientific and technological training for traditional communities

The International Bureau of Education is launching a research project on the training of teachers for intercultural education. The project is called ‘Basic Education for Participation and Democracy: Key Issues in Human Resources Development (Teachers and Multicultural/Intercultural Education)’. The general objective of the project is to develop countries' capacities to improve basic education, especially in multicultural contexts, and particularly through teacher training. Another objective of the project is to improve teachers' capacities to educate minorities, which is an important element in the building of a more democratic society. This article summarizes the results of the project and integrates them with strategies and methods developed by the Laboratoire de didactique et épistémologie des sciences of the University of Geneva, the Department of Biology of the University of Pavia and other research and training centres in Europe and Latin America. Ph.D. Professor at the University of Pavia, Italy. Member of the Laboratoire de didactique et épistémologie des sciences, University of Geneva. Technical adviser to the UNESCO: International Bureau of Education's Project ‘Basic Education for Participation and Democracy: Key Issues in Human Resources Development (Teachers and Multicultural/Intercultural Education)’. His many publications includeTeacher training and multiculturalism: national studies (1995).     

设计研究的"承诺空间"——访国际设计研究专家安东尼·凯利博士

安东尼·凯利(Anthony E.Kelly)博士是美国乔治梅森大学的教育和人力发展学院教授、教育技术项目主席,曾长期担任美国国家科学基金会(NSF)专家,多家正式、非正式学习研究机构和教育与人力资源部项目经理。他还担任过新加坡南洋理工大学客座教授、美国加州大学戴维斯分校客座教授。多种工作角色与经验使得凯利教授在教育理论研究与实践应用上都取得了较高成就,是2009-2010年度富尔布赖特新世纪学者计划(NCS)的获得者。他还受聘为《教育研究者》、《教育心理学研究者》、《教育技术研究与进展》、《学习科学杂志》等多家重要国际学术期刊的编辑委员会成员或评论员。凯利教授学术研究领域广泛,目前主要致力于认知神经科学与教育、学习科学与教育中的技术应用方面的研究。作为NSF的重要专家,凯利教授在教育研究方法和评价方面的研究尤其突出,特别是近年来对NSF所资助的大量设计研究项目的持续关注使他在设计研究上独具声名。他先后主编出版了有关教育研究方面的重量级手册《数学与科学教育研究设计手册》(2000)和《教育中的设计研究方法手册》(2008),后者集中了众多研究者在设计研究上的观点以及大量的实践案例,是迄今为止反映设计研究主题最...     

Volunteers in the classroom: Guidelines for orientation

Fortunate child care directors have many volunteers in their centers. Parents, grandparents, student interns, and other community volunteers may work occasionally or regularly in the child care center. Directors should be prepared to host these volunteers by planning in advance for their orientation. This will make the director's task easier and the volunteers' work more meaningful to them and more useful to the children and staff. At the University of Tennessee's Child Development Laboratories we regularly host volunteers with little or no prior experience in child care. Volunteers from the Foster Grandparents Program, from other departments in the university, parents of the children enrolled in the program, as well as our own majors in the beginning stages of their field work, are frequent participants who require orientation and guidelines for working with young children in group care. Because it is not unusual for some volunteers to leave after a semester, training and orientation for new volunteers occurs regularly throughout the year. The information below is offered to directors to promote meaningful involvement of volunteers in their center.Jan Allen is Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies. Kathy Carlson is a Master Teacher in the Child Development Laboratories. They work together at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. The authors wish to thank Dr. Carol Catron and Anne Miller Farmer for helpful comments.     

The tasks of early childhood: The development of self-control — Part II

Four-year-old Tommy felt mad that Jonah was hogging the big building blocks. He stood nearby, feeling more and more disgruntled. Just a week ago, his teachers had carried out a group discussion about hitting and hurting. No one was supposed to hit, even if you were mad. The group had discussed other ways to express their feelings. They had talked about telling a child what you wanted, or getting a teacher to help you out. Alice Sterling Honig teaches at Syracuse University in the Department of Child and Family Studies, College for Human Development, in Syracuse, NY. She is an editorial board member of Day Care & Early Education.Therese Lansburgh is Chair of the Maryland Committee for Children and an advocate for families and children at the state and national levels.     

Menus for toddlers in day care: Part IV

This is the last part of a four-part series of articles that provide a total of four weeks' worth of menus for toddlers. In the first installment (Fall 1978) will be found the basic recipes for preparing Milk Plus, TVP, and Fruit Juice, as well as a general introduction to the format of these menus. Todd R. Risley is Professor of Human Development and Director of the Living Environments Group at the University of Kansas. Emily Herbert-Jackson managed the nutrition research project described here in her capacity as Research Associate in the Bureau of Child Research at the University of Kansas. She is now associated with Children's Behavioral Services, Reno, Nevada. Marion O'Brien is a writer for the Living Environments Group and has served as consultant to the toddler center in which the research was conducted. The authors wish especially to thank Kathy Erwin for her contribution to the development of these menus, as well as all the staff and children at the toddler center. The research described here was supported in large part by grant MC-R-200347 from the Office of Maternal and Child Health to the Bureau of Child Research and the Department of Human Development at the University of Kansas. The toddler day care program is fully described in the bookThe Toddler Center: A Practical Guide to Day Care for One- and Two-Year-Olds, by Marion O'Brien, Jan Porterfield, Emily Herbert-Jackson, and Todd R. Risley (Baltimore: University Park Press, 1978).     

Responsible anger management: The long bumpy road

Julia, Darryl, and Shantal are all learning very different ways to deal with angry feelings.Unpleasant feelings are like weeds. They don't go away when we ignore them; they grow wild and take over. (Beattie, 144).Marian Marion is Professor of Human Development and Early Childhood Education, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI.     

A computer in the preschool: What happens?

Joyce Killian, an Associate Professor, is a specialist in teacher education and suppervision and also teaches computer education courses. JoAnn Nelson, an Assistant Professor, is affiliated with the Child Development Laboratories and teaches child development and early childhood courses, with a special interest in cognitive development. David Byrd, an Associate Professor, is a specialist in instructional design. The authors are all in the curriculum and Instruction Department at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.     

A child's cognitive perception of death

Modern technology and health practices of people today have resulted in people living longer than ever before. Also, the institutions of the hospital and funeral home today make death more physically distant from the child's world. It is not uncommon for the past two generations to have grown up to middle adulthood and not to have experienced the death of an immediate family member (Lerner, 1976). As a result, death today is viewed more as an intrusion on normal reality (Gordan & Klass, 1979).Catherine Goodwin is Special Education Coordinator, College of Human Ecology, The University of Tennessee. Phyllis M. Davidson is Associate Professor, School of Home Economics, Tennessee Technological University.     

Strategies for infusing curricula with a multicultural perspective

We describe pedagogical strategies for infusing a multicultural perspective into courses across a variety of disciplines; these methods have proven effective with students who are predominantly Anglo and oriented toward careers in the human services. The strategies include personalizing information through vicarious learning and case studies; inculcating critical thinking skills; simulations; literary analysis; and cooperative learning in large classes. Changes were documented in student attitudes, emotions, knowledge, professional skills, and the classroom environment. We review lessons learned about the process of curriculum revision, especially the importance of faculty support systems and impediments to implementation.All of the authors are faculty members in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University; Drs. MacPhee, Oltjenbruns, and Kreutzer are Associate Professors and Dr. Fritz is a Professor. Each of the authors is a trainer for the multicultural infusion project. David MacPhee holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His primary research interests include primary prevention for at-risk youth and families, and multicultural and gender issues. Kevin Oltjenbruns completed her doctoral degree in educational and psychological studies at the University of Colorado. The principle focus of her work has been on grief and loss, career development, and student retention. As Associate Dean of the College of Applied Human Sciences, she spearheaded the multicultural infusion project described in this article. Janet Fritz's graduate work was completed at Cornell University. Her research interests include cognitive development, children's self-worth, stress and coping, and cross-cultural variations in socialization. Jill Kreutzer earned her Ph.D. in education from Colorado State University. She is interested in adolescent development, especially resilience among at-risk youth, and career development.Portions of this work were presented at the 5th Annual National Conference on Racial & Ethnic Relations in American Higher Education (June, 1992).Requests for curriculum and training materials should be directed to the Dean's Office, College of Applied Human Sciences.