Preschool Child Care Research Articles

Institutionalised Pre-School Childcare and Reported Maltreatment: A Survey in East Germany

Child abuse increases the risk of adult mental health problems. Limited research explores the association of early institutional childhood care in the GDR with experienced childhood abuse and mediates anxiety and depression in adulthood. The sample includes N=1743 individuals born in the GDR (1949-1983). In multi-group path analyses (stratified men/women), we analysed the influence of pre-school care as a predictor and experienced child abuse (CTS) as a mediator variable for anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9) in adulthood. There are no direct effects of pre-school care on anxiety and depression. Childhood trauma significantly affected current mental health (women β=0.253-0.610; men β=0.092-0.439). Analyses suggest no link between early institutional care and childhood abuse. Considering other contextual factors in childcare is crucial for establishing population-wide prevention strategies for child safety.

Long-term costs of dental care for thailand preschool children by using a system dynamics model

BackgroundA System Dynamics Model (SDM) is a computer simulation to alleviate the problem by comparing strategies and policies. Addressing the costs by using SDM helps in allocating the resources efficiently in managing the strategies.ObjectiveTo describe the costs of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of dental caries for 0–5-year-old children by SDM.MethodsThe SDM was developed to explore the cost of primary and secondary prevention (supervised toothbrushing, STB and fluoride varnish, FV), the treatment cost for caries (tertiary prevention), and the total cost under three scenarios; STB, FV and base case (no intervention).ResultsWhen the children aged 5 years, the treatment cost under the base case was the highest at 57.6 million baht while 53.5 million baht in FV and 51.9 million baht in STB. As a total cost, 64.1 million baht under FV, 60.9 million baht under STB, and 57.6 million baht under base case. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the effective rate of STB must be at least 30%, and FV should be a minimum of 50% to ascertain the total cost reduction relative to the base case scenario.ConclusionCaries treatment costs were lower when STB and FV were implemented than in the base case scenario. The overall cost under FV was the highest, followed by STB, with no total cost savings observed as compared to the base case situation. Despite that, carrying out the STB rather than the FV would save a total of 3.2 million baht. Treatment costs under interventions would be lower than expected, and overall cost reductions might be obtained by comparing the base case if the intervention's effective rates are higher, according to sensitivity analysis.

The Effects of Visual Arts and Animated Film Therapy in Managing Emotional Fatigue in Preschool Children Hospitalized in the Pediatric Ward of RSUD Poso

Preschool-aged children who experience hospitalization in a pediatric ward often face a variety of emotional challenges, including emotional exhaustion. Hospitalization is a frightening and stressful experience for children, especially when they are separated from their family and peers. Visual art and animation film therapy have been recognized as effective therapeutic methods for addressing children's emotional exhaustion and stress. Visual arts play therapy allows children to express their feelings, overcome anxiety, and build emotional connections with their surroundings. The study aimed to look at the effects of visual art play therapy and animated films on managing emotional exhaustion in hospitalized preschool-age children. The data were collected through observation, interviews, and questionnaires given to parents. The result obtained by the treatment group's mean emotional exhaustion score before the action was 32.20, and after the action was 21.80. Wilcoxon statistical analysis, p-value = 0.001. So, it is concluded that there is a significant decrease in children's emotional exhaustion before and after therapy. The conclusion of this study can help improve the care and well-being of preschool children who experience hospitalization, as well as provide valuable insights for health practitioners and educators in supporting the emotional development of children in challenging medical situations.

The potential of early years’ childcare to reduce mental health inequalities of school age children in Scotland

Preschool childcare is considered an important policy for reducing inequalities in children's cognitive and socio-emotional development, although the population-level benefits for children under three years, is less clear. We examined the potential for childcare across the whole early years' period to benefit mental health and reduce inequalities, under different hypothetical policy scenarios, in the Growing Up in Scotland study.Marginal structural logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (ORs) to quantify inequalities in mental health and consider how these would be altered under different hypothetical scenarios. Mental health (the outcome) was measured using the total Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire score at the start of primary school. Socioeconomic circumstances (the exposure) were represented by maternal educational measured in infancy. Sequence analysis identified common patterns of childcare usage from 10 months to four years (the mediator). Confounders were adjusted for using inverse probability of treatment weights and analyses accounted for sampling design and attrition (complete case sample, n = 3205).With virtually universal uptake of government-funded childcare at 3–4 years, most variation was seen before age three. Four groups were identified: ‘Parents, family & friends’ (35.8%), ‘Grandparents’ (32.7%), ‘Private group childcare’ (e.g. nurseries 23.5%), ‘Single professional care’ (e.g. childminders 8.1%). Children whose mothers had low, compared to high, educational qualifications were 3.18 times more likely to have mental health problems (95% CI: 1.88–5.37). In a hypothetical scenario where everyone received private group childcare, inequalities increased slightly to 3.78 (95%CI: 1.46–9.76). In an alternative scenario, where everyone received single professional childcare, inequalities in mental health reduced to 2.42 (95% CI: 0.20–28.76), albeit with wide confidence intervals.Universal childcare provision before three years may widen or narrow socioeconomic inequalities in children's mental health, depending on the childcare type provided. Further research is required to understand the role of childcare quality, which we were unable to account for.

A study on the benefit incidence of a place-based education fee reduction program: Evidence from a local housing market in China

This paper studies an Education Fee Reduction and Exemption Program for preschool childcare in Jinan, China, to explore the benefit incidence among different stakeholders by observing how housing prices and rents change in response to this program and by employing a method of difference-in-differences combined with boundary discontinuity. The empirical findings indicate that the housing prices in the experimental area rose by 5–7 percent while the rents rose by 10–13 percent due to the capitalization effects of this equalization program. Falsification tests are conducted using artificial boundaries and fake policy implementation dates. A back-of-the-envelope welfare analysis demonstrates that a considerable portion of the program's benefits is offset by house price increases for new home buyers and rent increases for tenants, with significant distributional implications for different stakeholders.

Application of the extended theory of planned behavior to predict dentist intention and behavior in providing caries preventive care for preschool children

BackgroundVarious studies show a gap between evidence-based recommendations and the preventive practice of dentists. This study aimed to create and assess an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model on dentists' intentions to do caries preventive measures and related barriers experienced by dentists.MethodsA total of 362 general dentists from 34 Indonesian provinces were included in this study. A self-administered online questionnaire consisted of three sections: dentist characteristics and practice pattern, TPB questionnaire, and dentist perceived behavior regarding preventive care for pediatric patients. The questionnaire was distributed and the data was analyzed through structural equation modeling.ResultsTPB's extended version is a fit and relevant model, explaining 55.3% of dentists' intentions to undertake preventive procedures and 17.8% of preventive practices. Perceived behavioral control was the most powerful predictor of intention (44.2%) and practice (8.8%), while parental barriers were the most significant barrier to provide preventive care (18.9%).ConclusionExtending the TPB by taking barriers from multiple stakeholders as a consideration has a higher predictive level for preventive practices. Each barrier should be addressed through oral health programs and policies, and dentists must be taught to overcome these barriers (through formal or continuing education) in order to maximize caries prevention strategies.

Associations between types of care and parenting practice and social-emotional development among Asian American young children

PurposeThis study examined the associations between types of preschool child care and parenting practices and social-emotional outcomes among Asian American kindergarten-age children. MethodBased on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-K: 2011 (n = 1530), types of care (Head Start, school-based child care, private center-based, and informal/exclusive parental care) and parenting practices (parental expectation, parental investment, and parenting teaching behaviors) were examined for their associations with children’s social-emotional skills (approach to learning, social skills, child-teacher relationship scores, and children’s behavior questions). ResultsCompared to children cared for by informal/exclusive parental care, children who attended school-based care had higher approach to learning skills and focused attention skills, and those who enrolled Head Start had lower externalizing problem behavior scores. Children who frequently read books showed positive social-emotional development (higher approach to learning, self-control, focused attention, and inhibitory control scores and lower externalizing problem behavior scores). ImplicationsAlthough enrolling in formal center-based care at preschool age had positive associations with Asian American children’s social-emotional skills, Asian American children were less likely to enroll in formal center-based care, including Head Start. Asian American parents should be informed of their eligibility for and the availability of formal center-based care, as well as the importance of parental-child interaction to promote their children’s positive social-emotional skills.

Cultural and social support explanations of the native-migrant gap in the use of day care for pre-school children

ABSTRACT Migrant families are generally less likely to use nonparental care for their pre-school-age children than native families. The few studies that have systematically examined the determinants of centre-based care (day care) for migrants have often zoomed in on the migrant population and have not made comparisons with natives nor have they decomposed the migrant-native gap. This paper presents a mediation analysis with an elaborate set of measures conceptually categorised into cultural and social support explanations. Using nationally representative survey data on Dutch parents with origins in Muslim countries and a comparison group of parents with Dutch origins (natives), this paper shows large and growing gaps in the enrolment of 0–4-year old’s in subsidised day care even after controlling for differences in working hours, income, and education. A substantial part of the gap could be explained by cultural differences, particularly the more traditional attitudes toward marriage and family and the higher levels of religiosity among migrants. Of the cultural effects, a lack of trust in institutions appeared to play no role. Social support explanations that rely on alternative sources of support for child care were less important and differences in neighbourhood cohesion served as a suppressor of the gap.

Hubungan Tingkat Pengetahuan Ibu Tentang Perawatan Gigi Dengan Karies Gigi Anak Usia Pra Sekolah 4-5 Tahun

Pre-school age children are a period of child growth. Caries is a case experienced by pre-school age children. The 2018 Basic Health Research, the prevalence of dental caries in children aged 3-4 years in Indonesia is 36.4%, the prevalence of dental caries in pre-school children in South Sulawesi is 73.6%, the prevalence of dental caries in East Luwu is 82.8%, and the prevalence of dental caries at the age of pre-children as in Nuha District 89.2%. This condition is very concerning considering that pre-school children still need the role of parents in caring for their health, especially dental health. In this case, parental knowledge is needed in guiding and giving more attention so that children do not experience caries. This study aims to determine the relationship between the level of knowledge of mothers about dental care and dental caries in pre-school aged children 4-5 years at Al-Ikhwan Kindergarten. The research method used is analytic observational with a retrospective approach. This research was conducted in May 2023 with the subjects of this study being parents, especially mothers whose children attended TK Al-Ikhwan as many as 89 people. Collecting data using a questionnaire sheet. Analysis of research data using Univariate and Bivariate Test analysis. The level of parents' knowledge about dental health is mostly in the sufficient category (47, 21%). The majority of respondents experienced media caries (61.79%). Ha is accepted with ƿ Value – 0.006, correlation coefficient -0.946. There is a relationship between the level of parental knowledge about dental health and the occurrence of caries in preschool children aged 4-5 years at TK-Al Ikhwan, East Luwu Regency.

Factors influencing accidental food allergic reactions in schools and preschools

BackgroundChildren spend a large proportion of their childhood in schools. In Ireland, there is no government policy on the management of food allergy (FA) in schools or preschool childcare settings (CCS). There is limited data worldwide on rate of accidental allergic reactions (AARs) within these settings.AimThe aim of this paper is to report the management of FA and the incidence of AARs in Irish school or preschool CCS.MethodsA prospective observational study was established, enrolling children aged 2 to 16 years with confirmed FA. Participants were contacted at three monthly intervals for 1 year to report AARs to food. Data pertaining to schools and preschool CCS is reported here.ResultsA total of 521 children (402 attending school and 119 attending preschool CCS) were enrolled. The annualised incidence of AARs in school was 4.5% (95% CI 2.6–7.0) and in preschool CCS 5% (95% CI 1.8–11.1); 6 of 7 of the nut reactions occurred in schools banning nuts. Half (3/6) of the preschool reactions were to cow’s milk; 174/521 (33%) children did not provide their individualised allergy action plan (AAP). Four out of 18 (22%) AARs in school were anaphylaxis and none were administered adrenaline by school staff.ConclusionThe incidence of AARs in this Irish cohort was found to be equivalent to the international experience. However, many of the recorded reactions identified in this study were likely avoidable. Preparation for AARs needs optimising. The ineffectiveness of “nut bans” remains unrecognised. Promoting milk and egg allergy resolution in infancy would likely reduce preschool- and school-based reaction numbers.

문헌고찰을 통해 살펴본 남성주부의 경험과 실천적 제언

This study examined the process of men becoming stay-at-home fathers and the rewards and costs experienced by stay-at-home fathers through a literature review from a family perspective in 12 published studies written in Korean and English. The results of the study are as follows. First, the process of men becoming at-home dads was the result of a reasonable choice based on the family’s tacit or direct agreement and a kind of family strategy at a time when there was a gap in care for preschool children. Second, the main rewards experienced since becoming at-home dads, namely, to promote intimacy and bond with their children, improve relationships with their wives, and to make their children more flexible in their thinking and more mature, were largely related to their families. Third, the costs of being an at-home dad were stigmatization, alienation and isolation, confusion of an identity as a man, and depression due to negative emotions and child-care burdens. Several major causes stemmed from the gender role stereotype implied in society. Practical suggestions to enhance services at Family Centers and other public policy support were discussed to strengthen stay-at-home fathers and their families.

Workplace flexibility, work-family interface, and psychological distress: differences by family caregiving obligations and gender.

Drawing on data from the 2008 U.S. National Study of the Changing Workforce, this study (1) examines the associations between access to three types of flexible working arrangements-flextime, flexplace, and culture of flexibility-and psychological distress, (2) tests the mediating roles of work-family conflict and work-family enrichment, and (3) investigates whether these relationships differ by workers' childcare or elder-care obligations as they intersect with gender. Results show that a flexible workplace culture, but not access to flextime or flexplace, is associated with lower psychological distress. Work-family conflict and work-family enrichment partially mediate the relationship between culture of flexibility and psychological distress. In addition, the negative effect of culture of flexibility on psychological distress is stronger among workers sandwiched between preschool childcare and elder-care compared with those with neither caregiving obligations, a pattern especially pronounced among women. We discuss these results and their implications for organizational practices and worker well-being.

Perceptions of Caregivers about Preschool Children’s Nutritional Care and Physical Activity through Tai Lue Traditions: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

The problem of malnutrition among preschool children in northern Thailand is on the upsurge, while engagement in physical activities among these children has decreased. The Tai Lue community has long been recognized for its traditional wisdom and unique culture, which has an effect on the dietary intake and exercise behavior of these children. This study focused on the perceptions among caregivers of preschool children’s nutritional care and the physical activity through Tai Lue traditions. This study employed a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews during four focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews. Participants were 30 people, including family caregivers of children aged 2-6 years and Tai Lue community leaders. Sample groups were selected by purposive sampling and data were analyzed using a content analysis method.Findings were classified into four themes: 1) accessing healthcare services; 2) caring under Tai Lue traditions; 3) thinking of problems and obstacles; and 4) providing community support. Our findings provide a better understanding of how nutritional care is administered to preschool children living in the Tai Lue community along with the promotion of their physical activities, and provide valuable insights for healthcare providers. Nurses can apply these insights when giving advice about nutrition screening and when designing guidelines for how they care for patients and promote nutrition care and physical activity in preschool children through the culture of the Tai Lue community.

Mentoring Mothers and Preschool Children in Efforts to Maintain Dental and Oral Health

Preschool children are a vulnerable group to dental health problems. Education in the preschool age period is essential because children are very easy to learn and direct so children will get used to doing dental health care independently, to get good results this program involves parents. The purpose of this program is to assist mothers and preschool children to maintain dental and oral health. The targets of this activity are preschool students and Ruhul Jihad Kindergarten students in Ciganjur, South Jakarta. The method of implementing the action is conducting dental health education for preschool children and mothers, dental edu visits, and brushing teeth together. The results of the activity showed an increase in knowledge of oral and dental health care for mothers and preschool children, an increase in brushing skills correctly in preschool children, as well as coordinated responses, enthusiasm, and interest in preschool children visiting the dental clinic. The conclusion shows that mentoring activities for mothers and preschool children to maintain dental and oral health are carried out well and provide benefits to the target.

The Use of Bacterial Lysate for the Prevention of Wheezing Episodes in Preschool Children: A Cost-Utility Analysis

Although increasing recent evidence has shown the efficacy of bacterial lysate therapy for the prevention of wheezing episodes and asthma exacerbations in pediatric patients, evidence of its cost-effectiveness in preschool patients is scarce. To evaluate the cost-utility of bacterial lysate therapy as an add-on to standard care of preschool children with recurrent wheezing. To achieve the objectives of the study, we used a Markov simulation model with 3 mutually exclusive nonabsorbent states (regular Markov chain). Effectiveness parameters were obtained from a recent systematic review of the literature with meta-analyses (5 randomized controlled trials, 433 children). Cost data were obtained from hospital bills and from the national manual of drug prices in Colombia. The study was carried out from the perspective of the national health care system in Colombia. The main outcome of the model was quality-adjusted life-years. To assess the robustness of the model's results, we performed deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Compared with standard care, bacterial lysate add-on therapy to standard care was associated with lower overall treatment costs (US $694.03 vs $830.71 average cost per patient) and the greatest gain in QALYs (0.9211 vs 0.9154 QALYs on average per patient), thus showing dominance. In Colombia, compared with standard care, bacterial lysate add-on therapy to standard care for treating preschool children with recurrent wheezing is a dominant strategy because it showed a greater gain in QALYs at lower total treatment costs.

Usability Design of Human-Machine Interaction Interface of Child Companion Robot in Wireless Network

With the core and small-scale family structure, parents and children have less time and opportunities to interact, which leads to the lack of care and emotional companionship for preschool children, which is easy to cause physical and mental disorders. In response to this phenomenon, a series of child care robot products have emerged on the market and have continued to be the focus of attention in the past two years. However, such products are still generally deficient in terms of interaction and content. It is difficult for users to choose and use. This paper takes the design and application of remote parent-child interaction of preschool children’s escort machine as the research object. First, it examines the physical, psychological, and behavioral characteristics of escort robots, namely, preschool children. To sum up, the remote parent-child interaction design strategy of children’s escort robot products is proposed for the design practice and industry reference of this paper. The experimental results show that the children in the experimental group pay more attention to the main content and off-topic content than the control group, and the attention rate is more than 95%. To a certain extent, it can be said that the games in the system have the ability of parent-child interaction. This paper abandons the traditional research direction of pursuing human-computer interaction between childcare products and high technology. Instead, it studies parent-child emotional interaction, so that the emotional interaction between parents and children is not replaced by technology products but helps parents deepen the relationship with their children. Emotional interaction allows parents to truly accompany their children to grow up.

Effect of a Short-Term Intervention with Lactobacillus salivarius Probiotic on Early Childhood Caries-An Open Label Randomized Controlled Trial.

ECC is a significant therapeutic and social problem and a global burden on public health. The aim of this clinical trial was to test whether a 2-week daily consumption of chewing tablets containing thermally inactivated L. salivarius reduces the 12-month caries increment compared to the control group. The investigation was a single-center, randomized, controlled open-label, blinded end-point evaluation trial in two parallel groups. At baseline, 140 generally healthy children between 3 and 6 years of age with or without ECC were randomly assigned to the probiotic test group (n = 70) or to the treatment as the usual control group (n = 70). The primary outcome measure was the 1-year increment in caries incidence and prevalence. Secondary endpoints assessed were the initial, cavitated and obvious dentinal caries increment as well as the measurement of dental plaque accumulation, as an indicator of the ECC risk. Data were collected through the clinical assessment of the children’s caries (dmft and ICDAS II) and oral hygiene status (DI-S of OHI-S index). Caries incidence and prevalence were statistically significantly lower in the probiotic group versus the control group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.0075). The initial and final mean OHI-S scores in the probiotic group did not show any significant differences. In conclusion, the regular short-term intake of probiotics may reduce caries development. Our findings suggest that self-administered probiotic therapy may provide a good complement to increase the effectiveness of individual preventive home care in preschool children. This is the first clinical study evaluating the effect of a short-term probiotic intervention on reducing early childhood caries with 12 months of follow-up.

Who Cares? Capitalism and the Reproduction of the Working Class

The concept of “caring labor” obscures the process of surplus extraction in the capitalist mode of production. In particular, the government’s provision of services such as preschool child care needs to be understood as having the effect of substituting for the care provided by the household rather than adding to it. The process of substitution is one that involves a decrease in household labor and a corresponding increase in wage labor, in particular that of women. Within the capitalist workplace, the labor time “saved” by the development of a “more efficient” form of child care (as a component of the labor necessary for the reproduction of the working class) is appropriated by the capitalist class. The increasing labor force participation rate of women that results from this process of substitution does not necessarily constitute a decrease in their oppression. JEL Classification: B14, B54, H53

Vaccination Gaps of Employees in Institutions of Preschool Childcare before Introduction of the Measles Protection Act

The measles protection act and the updated recommendations of the permanent commission of vaccination (STIKO) include the obligatory proof of a double vaccination against measles for employees (born after 1970) in childcare. In addition, the standard and professional recommendations for vaccinations should be respected. A retrolective evaluation of vaccination gaps of employees in institutions for preschool childcare was performed. The database of 2018 and 2019 of the B·A·D-Health center Erlangen have 1300 recorded cases of occupational medical consultations in preschool childcare. Double consultations and consultations with insufficient data were excluded. 1016 contacts were analyzed with regard to vaccination gaps of measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, pertussis, hepatitis A+B and early summer meningoencephalitis. The evaluation was primarily based on the employees' vaccination cards. Vaccination gaps were assumed in case of missing, commenced or incomplete vaccination protection. In this cohort of 1016 employees, the vaccination gap for measles increased from 16.2% to 20.6%, when applying the updated STIKO recommendation and the resulting change of definition of complete vaccination protection from measles. Further gaps were 22.7% for mumps, 18.9% for rubella, 2.3% for varicella, 27.8% for pertussis, 61.1% for hepatitis A and 60.5% and tick-borne encephalitis. The age group <30 years showed less vaccination gaps than the age group ≥30 years. The evaluation of the health center in Erlangen showed considerable age-dependent vaccination gaps in the cohort of employees of preschool childcare. The measles protection act that makes vaccination against measles mandatory contributes to closing this gap. There is room for counselling as well as for action regarding vaccine-preventable diseases in occupational medicine.

Результаты мониторинга здоровья детей дошкольного возраста в Вологодской области: педагогическая интерпретация

. Introduction. The health status of the child population depends on many factors. If in infancy and early age, biomedical and social factors have a greater influence, then in preschool, the family's lifestyle and standard of living, the quality of medical care become more important. The relevance of an in-depth study of the health of preschool children is also due to the fact that there are no allocated data on morbidity from 3 to 6 years in official statistics. Accordingly, it is not possible to analyze the age-specific characteristics of the child's health and development. Therefore, it becomes necessary to study this topic using sociological methods. Considering that the majority of children, from 3 to 6 years old, attend preschool educational institutions, the purpose of the study was to assess the quality of medical care for preschool children in Vologda Oblast. Materials and Methods: in 2017-2020, within the framework of the monitoring "Study of the conditions for the formation of a healthy generation", the object was families with children from 0 to 18 years old living in the Vologda region. Results. The publication presents the selective results of assessing the opinions of parents about health, the organization of medical care for children from 3 to 6 years old, a cohort born in 2014. The conducted research allows us to draw the following conclusions: parents and pediatricians note a low level of health of preschool children. At the same time, satisfaction with medical services in the assessments of parents shows the presence of certain problems: low availability and high cost of drugs. One of the reasons for this situation is the withdrawal from the state of the educational organization of medical workers.