Recently in Child Care Workers Category

Source: Every Child Matters Education Fund, 2009

Much can be done to reduce these child abuse and neglect deaths. There exists a vast body of knowledge about healthy child growth and development, including how to prevent abuse in the first place, and how to protect children from further harm if abuse should occur. But the sheer amount of child abuse and neglect in America--already more than 20 million reports of maltreatment made to government agencies in this decade--is certain evidence that, despite the best efforts of the many who work daily to address this problem, we continue to fall far short in applying our knowledge.

Source: Alexandra M. Stern, Martin S. Cetron, Howard Markel, Health Affairs, Web Exclusives, Vol. 28 no. 6, published online October 1, 2009
(subscription required)

From the abstract:
When the novel strain of A/H1N1 influenza first appeared in spring 2009, closing schools was initially a common and often challenging strategy implemented in many communities. Arguments for and against closing schools are likely to arise anew if influenza spikes in the fall of 2009. Policymakers and community officials considering this and other nonpharmaceutical responses can learn from the experiences of ninety-one years ago, during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic that killed thousands of Americans. Analysis of the school closure policies of forty-three U.S. cities during that pandemic shows that smooth implementation was associated with clear lines of authority among agencies and with transparent communication between health officials and the public.

Source: Child Care Human Resources Sector Council, 2009

From the CUPE summary:
A major new Canadian study shows that investments in quality early learning and childcare provide the biggest boost to the economy of all sectors: in terms of jobs, short-term economic stimulus, and long-term benefits to society.
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Fact sheet

Source: Karen Schulman, Helen Blank, National Women's Law Center, September 2009

A study released today by the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) of child care policies in 50 states and the District of Columbia reveals that between February of 2008 and February of 2009 more states made cuts than made improvements in desperately needed child care assistance, worsening an already bleak landscape for parents trying to afford reliable child care.

The study also provides a preliminary look at the response of states since February 2009 to both worsening state budget deficits and the availability of new child care funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Since February 2009, some states are proposing to or have cut their child care assistance programs but other states have used ARRA funds to maintain or expand their programs.

The study found that between February 2008 and February 2009 a majority of states did not make changes in their key child care assistance policies. However, of those states that did make changes, more moved backward than forward -- reducing reimbursement rates, limiting eligibility, placing more children and families on waiting lists or increasing parent co-payments. Moveover, most states did not advance or fell further behind in one or more policy areas since 2001.

Source: Research Connections, 2009

Offering a comprehensive, up-to-date, and easy-to-use collection of more than 15,000 resources from the many disciplines related to child care and early education.

Source: Rosa Maria Castaneda, Olivia Golden, Urban Institute, August 8, 2009

From the abstract:
This report summarizes the roundtable "Infants and Toddlers in State and Federal Budgets: Yesterday's Choices, Today's Decisions, Tomorrow's Options" conducted by the Urban Institute, with support from the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, on March 30, 2009. The roundtable's focus grew out of the widely perceived mismatch between sharply limited public investments on infants and toddlers and an accumulated body of research demonstrating the significance of the earliest years of life. We describe the group's diverse perspectives and wide-ranging discussion of strategies to address this mismatch.

Source: Carla B. Goble, James D. Moran, and Diane M. Horm, Zero to Three, Vol. 29 no. 7, September 2009
(subscription required)

Research continues to highlight the relationship between high quality preschool experiences for young children and the educational preparedness of their teachers. As a result, there is an increasing call for enhanced educational preparation for early childhood teachers working in the wide spectrum of programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschool children. Many higher education institutions are not adequately meeting the challenge of providing course content in early childhood development, teaching practices, infant--toddler care, and competence in working with families to adequately recruit and prepare early childhood teachers. Issues and suggestions for addressing these problems will be explored in this article.

Source: POWER-PAC, Early Learning Committee Research and Recommendations, May 2009

High quality early education includes a range of early care and education programs such as Preschool for All, Head Start, and quality child care. Even though Illinois is a nationwide leader in creating high quality programs and guaranteeing access for all 3- and 4-year olds, in communities where we live, only a fraction of the children eligible for preschool are enrolled.

Our interviews found an alarming number of three- and four-year old children are not enrolled in any structured early education program.

Across three survey samples, between 40 and 64 percent of preschool-aged children were not enrolled in preschool or Head Start.

Source: Debra J. Ackerman and W. Steven Barnett, National Institute for Early Education Research, Policy Brief, issue 20, March 2009

From the summary:
Public support for the education and care of 3- and 4-year-olds has increased, but has this helped or hurt the provision of care for infants (children up to 12 months old) and toddlers (1- and 2-year-olds)? This policy brief examines trends in supply and demand in the infant/toddler care market, reviews state and federal policies for infant/toddler care, and recommends policy changes that could ensure new preschool policies benefit infant/toddler care and avoid unintended negative consequences.

Source: Dale Epstein, John Pruette, Kathleen Priestley, Aaron Lieberman, National Institute for Early Education Research, 2009

Presentation on policies, implementation strategies and monitoring of quality standards in prekindergarten at the national, state, district and program levels.