Explaining Local Variability in Child Care Quality: State Funding and Regulation in California

The uneven availability of child-care centers for different kinds of families has been detailed in recent years. Much less is known about the distribution of center quality across communities. Nor do we understand the role that local contexts or state policies may play in shaping quality levels. This paper describes several quality indicators, based on reports of 170 center directors situated in three California counties. We found that most centers in lower-income and working-class communities displayed at least moderate levels of quality along structural measures, such as class size, the ratio of children per staff member, and staff education levels. About one in six failed to meet recommended quality standards. Some quality indicators were lower for centers located in communities with lower supply of center enrollment slots per capita, possibly due to excess family demand for center-based care. Center quality was not consistently influenced by community conditions such as poverty levels, ethnic composition, or maternal employment rates. Quality was higher among centers receiving stronger flows of public subsidies. We discuss the success of state agencies in advancing quality among centers and remaining policy challenges.     

Children,stress, and context: integrating basic,clinical, and experimental prevention research

Findings from the Watamura, Donzella, Alwin, and Gunnar (this issue) study support the growing recognition of the importance of context on physiology and affective and behavioral regulation early in human development. This discussion focuses on the role of context and development on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation in young children. Discussed in this article are the Watamura et al. findings with regard to relevant animal studies, extension of these observations to samples of children at elevated risk for psychopathology, and experimental prevention studies with young children. It is contended that environmental factors operating at key points in development may shape affective and behavioral regulation as well as HPA axis function in children, much as environmental factors have been shown to shape HPA axis regulation in animals.     

Editor''s choice 2005: Selected online learning resources

The Editor-In-Chief of The Internet and Higher Education compiles for the last issue of each year's volume resources that may be useful for researchers, teachers, administrators, or students who wish to locate information about the field of online learning and the uses of the Internet for instructional delivery. Over 200 resources are organized into several categories.     

Ally,Advocate, Activist: Semester-long civic engagement in the basic communication course

Courses: Basic communication course.

Objectives: Using the Ally, Advocate, Activist framework in a basic communication course will help students apply course concepts to their lives and communities. This framework helps students practice civic engagement while mastering the skills that are typically tested for assessment purposes in the basic communication course.     

Youth With Disabilities in Foster Care: Developing Self-Determination Within a Context of Struggle and Disempowerment

Abstract

This article focuses on the transition experiences of foster youth with disabilities, a group of students with disabilities who have often been neglected by researchers and policy makers. We begin by discussing transition outcomes for youth with disabilities, highlighting the progress that has been achieved in recent years, and noting that much of this progress is related to the effective transition planning practice of promoting self-determination. We then examine the challenging context children in foster care typically face as they move into adulthood, drawing attention to the neglect of policy and practices designed to promote self-determination for foster youth with disabilities. To do this, we describe 4 recent studies by our research group that involve this vulnerable population and stress key elements of self-determination that seem to be lacking in the context in which these youth function. We end by emphasizing the need to continue focusing on this at-risk group of young people, as well as on transition supports that promote their self-determination.     

The Works of Sherman Faxton Lawton

Communications Technology for Urban Improvement: Report to the Department of Housing and Urban Development Under Contract H-1221 (Washington: National Academy of Engineering, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W., 1971—$3.00)

Abel Green and Joe Laurie Jr.'s Show Biz: Variety from Vaude to Video (New York: Kennikat Press, 1971— $22.50)