Child Care Center Directors Research Articles

Reliability and validity of a nutrition and physical activity environmental self-assessment for child care

BackgroundFew assessment instruments have examined the nutrition and physical activity environments in child care, and none are self-administered. Given the emerging focus on child care settings as a target for intervention, a valid and reliable measure of the nutrition and physical activity environment is needed.MethodsTo measure inter-rater reliability, 59 child care center directors and 109 staff completed the self-assessment concurrently, but independently. Three weeks later, a repeat self-assessment was completed by a sub-sample of 38 directors to assess test-retest reliability. To assess criterion validity, a researcher-administered environmental assessment was conducted at 69 centers and was compared to a self-assessment completed by the director. A weighted kappa test statistic and percent agreement were calculated to assess agreement for each question on the self-assessment.ResultsFor inter-rater reliability, kappa statistics ranged from 0.20 to 1.00 across all questions. Test-retest reliability of the self-assessment yielded kappa statistics that ranged from 0.07 to 1.00. The inter-quartile kappa statistic ranges for inter-rater and test-retest reliability were 0.45 to 0.63 and 0.27 to 0.45, respectively. When percent agreement was calculated, questions ranged from 52.6% to 100% for inter-rater reliability and 34.3% to 100% for test-retest reliability. Kappa statistics for validity ranged from -0.01 to 0.79, with an inter-quartile range of 0.08 to 0.34. Percent agreement for validity ranged from 12.9% to 93.7%.ConclusionThis study provides estimates of criterion validity, inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability for an environmental nutrition and physical activity self-assessment instrument for child care. Results indicate that the self-assessment is a stable and reasonably accurate instrument for use with child care interventions. We therefore recommend the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) instrument to researchers and practitioners interested in conducting healthy weight intervention in child care. However, a more robust, less subjective measure would be more appropriate for researchers seeking an outcome measure to assess intervention impact.

Quality Management Procedures Influence the Food Safety Practices at Childcare Centers

Childcare in the United States (US) has become a necessary part of life for most working parents with the increased use of center-based childcare over the past three decades. Approximately 13 million preschoolers attend some form of childcare. Literature indicates the main predictors of quality childcare programs are adequate experience and specialized training of childcare staff. A growing concern among researchers, however, is the limited training among childcare professionals in the area of food safety. Children have minimal control of food safety risks because other people prepare their meals. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to childcare center directors in Texas and Iowa to identify the demographic, food safety and other practices that influence the training and decisions made by childcare center directors. Results indicate the need of continual management and food safety training for both directors and staff in order to provide a safe environment for young children.

Planning for Health Promotion in Low-Income Preschool Child Care Settings: Focus Groups of Parents and Child Care Providers

To identify potentially successful strategies, barriers, and facilitators for health promotion in preschool child care settings. We conducted 6 focus groups including each of the following: parents of children attending child care centers and home-based family child care (2 in English, 1 in Spanish) and directors of child care centers and family child care providers (2 in English, 1 in Spanish). Systematic thematic analysis was conducted to generate themes to address study questions. A total of 24 parents and 45 child care providers, serving predominantly urban, low-income children in Boston, participated. Parents and child care providers agreed that in-person group discussions would be the most effective strategy for providing health education information to parents. Several barriers that could affect implementation emerged. First, some providers expressed frustration toward parents' attitudes about child safety and health. Second, there was diversity of opinion among providers on whether conducting health promotion activities was consistent with their training and role. In addition, literacy, language, and cultural barriers were identified as potential barriers to health promotion in child care. In order to be successful, health promotion strategies in child care settings will need to overcome tensions between providers and parents, allow professional growth of child care providers to serve in a health promotion role, and better integrate external health resources and personnel. Group sessions and peer learning opportunities that are culturally and linguistically sensitive are potentially successful strategies for implementation of health promotion interventions for many parents.

Opportunities for Health Promotion Education in Child Care

Comprehensive health promotion education is not feasible through pediatric office visits alone. Opportunities may exist for enhanced health promotion in child care settings. The objectives of this study were to understand the attitudes toward, barriers to, and strategies for incorporating health promotion activities in child care settings as well as topics that are deemed most useful from the perspectives of parents, child care directors, and health consultants. We also sought to understand the health consultants' (health professionals serving as consultants to child care centers) current and desired roles in leading health promotion activities in child care settings. We conducted simultaneous surveys of all licensed child care center directors and their health consultants in Boston. A total of 240 parents in 16 randomly selected centers were also surveyed. A total of 97 (65%) directors in the 150 child care centers identified responded. A total of 71% (56 of 79) of consultants and 58% (138 of 240) of parents responded. Parents (89%), child care directors (88%), and health consultants (80%) believe that health promotion activities through child care centers would improve the health knowledge and behaviors of preschool children. A total of 45% of parents reported already receiving useful health information from child care staff and materials distributed in child care. Most topic areas that were suggested to parents were considered useful, with the greatest utility in the areas of behavior/discipline, child development, and emergency management. No significant barriers were identified by health professionals. Lack of funds (63%) and lack of someone to provide information (59%) were the top barriers identified by directors. An educational session on health topics by health care professionals was believed to be the best strategy to improve health promotion education for families. Among the health consultants, 83% of nurses or nurse practitioners said that they would be able to provide health education in child care compared with 53% of physicians. Parents, child care center directors, and health professionals believe that enhancing health promotion education in child care could improve child health. Collaboration between pediatricians and early care and education professionals has the potential to improve the breadth and effectiveness of health promotion education. Effective strategies are necessary to optimize access to health professionals by early educators, and effectively utilize the unique skills and preferences of physicians and nurses to promote health education in child care.

Childcare center directors' perceptions of their work environments: a comparison of for‐profit and non‐profit programs

Perceptions of childcare center directors in for‐profit and non‐profit childcare centers were examined. Previous research indicates that childcare employees are poorly compensated, not properly trained, and dissatisfied with their work environment. This study explores further into the training, work environment, and job satisfactions of childcare center directors. Questionnaires were distributed throughout a southeast state in the United States to three hundred and ten childcare center directors from for‐profit and non‐profit centers. Levels of job satisfaction, work environments (including employment benefits and challenges), and the educational and training experiences of for‐profit and non‐profit childcare center directors were examined. There were no significant differences between for‐profit and non‐profit center directors in their perceptions of job satisfaction and in their reports of benefits and challenges. However, there was a significant difference in education level of directors with directors of non‐profit centers having higher educational attainment than directors of for‐profit centers.

Evaluation of North Carolina child care safety regulations

Introduction: The goal of this study was to track any changes in injuries and injury hazards during the first 3.5 years of implementation of the North Carolina Child Care Commission’s...

Training Needs of Child Care Center Directors and Staff Involved in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

With the growing demand for reliable, nonparental child care, dietetic professionals and training educators have an opportunity to provide quality training for child caregivers who operate programs within the guidelines of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federally funded nutrition assistance program. The goal for CACFP child care center staff is to design and provide healthful meals and snacks. Study researchers determined perceived training needs of child care center directors and staff involved in the CACFP and identified demographic characteristics of the directors and child care centers.

Child care health consultation: the Connecticut experience.

The quality of child care is of increasing national concern. Federal initiatives are recommending child care health consultation to promote healthy, safe, and developmentally appropriate care. However, few studies have investigated the implementation of this recommendation. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of Connecticut child care center directors and their health consultants who were engaged in mandated, weekly, on-site health consultation. One hundred Connecticut child care center directors and their health consultants participated in a mailed, self-administered survey. The centers were stratified by region and selected by random probability sampling. Descriptive analyses of the data examined the perspectives of both groups. Eighty-four percent of the child care center directors reported that health consultation visits were important or very important for the management of their programs. Eighty-one percent of the health consultants believed that their directors considered the visits important or very important. The reported tasks of the health consultants were consistent with regulatory requirements. Cost was cited as a factor that negatively influenced access to services by at least 37% of the director sample. Demographics of the sample, description of the role, and recommendations by directors and health consultants are included. Health consultation visits were highly valued among this sample as an effective means of promoting children's health and development in child care centers. Future initiatives should promote child care health consultation through training, infrastructure development, and funding of health consultation services.

Using a Multi-State Consortium Approach to Develop a Nutrition Training Program for Child Care Providers?

State agencies administering the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) identified a need for training resources providing basic information on best practice in the operation of the CACFP. A task force of representatives from several state CACFP agencies met to define priority content areas based on the needs of CACFP child care sponsors in participating states. Specific content areas identified included nutrition needs of young children, menu planning, food preparation, food safety, managing mealtime with young children, nutrition education, and CACFP recordkeeping requirements. Flexible materials were needed that could be used in group training, one-on-one training, or self-instruction, reflecting the variety of situations through which child care training is provided. The task force identified video lessons as the most appropriate training format, with each video accompanied by camera-ready bulletins providing detailed information on the lesson topic. States contracted with the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) to develop materials meeting these needs with extensive input from the Task Force. The program, called Care Connection, was completed in January 1998 and is now available through the NFSMI. The intended end-users of the program are CACFP child care sponsors and center directors, who can utilize it to train child care home providers and center staff on best practice in nutrition, feeding young children, and operating the CACFP.

Adult health in child care: Health status, behaviors, and concerns of teachers, directors, and family child care providers

This article reports the results of a statewide survey of health status, behaviors, and concerns of 446 randomly selected early childhood professionals (78 group child care center directors, 236 teachers, and 132 family child care providers). More than 85% of each professional group rated their health as either good or excellent; 87% have worked when ill. Twenty-five percent of the sample (33% directors, 15% staff, 36% family providers) have become pregnant since working in child care. Respondents reported being “overweight” at levels more than twice state adult frequencies. Dramatic changes were reported in perceived frequency of various symptoms and becoming ill since working in child care. Significant differences between the groups were found for number of absences due to illness, nutrition, stressfulness of working in child care, and ergonomics and physical demands of the job.

Child care centers as workplaces

This paper deals with a subject of central interest for feminist economics: the working conditions of employees in a caregiving occupation that is low paid, female dominated and in an industry crucial for parents in the labor market. The qualitative research employed here is also of interest to feminist economics, which seeks to use a broader range of methodologies than is typically found in economics journals.The paper examines the labor market and work environment for caregivers who provide care for young children in child care centers. It is based on twenty intensive interviews with child care aides, teachers and directors in four different types of large child care centers in Santa Clara County, California. Topics discussed are pay and benefits, adequacy of staffing (induding matters of recruitment and retention), the directors' managerial roles, the effects on the workplace of center ownership and governance, opportunities for professional development and relations with children and parents.The paper provides a model of the kinds of insights that can be had from paying attention to the words of economic actors. For example, the findings about the importance forjob satisfaction of substitute teachers, managerial styles of directors, early childhood education classes and relations with parents have not been studied or reported in other research on child care workers. The detailed descriptions of the characteristics of workers sought by child care center directors have also not been previously reported. The reproduction of the exact words of the respondents enables readers to develop an appreciation of the difficulty and stressfulness of child care workers' jobs; this type of understanding does not emerge from quantitative work.Based on the findings, the paper calls for the funding of demonstration projects to assess the cost effectiveness of several specific policies.

The Professional Development of Early Childhood Center Directors: Key Elements of Effective Training Models

Training for child care center directors should involve experiences that are coherent and connected in a logical or cumulative fashion. Twelve key elements can serve as a framework for planning professional development training experiences for early childhood center directors. The'se elements relate to the content, structure, and delivery of training. Training should: (1) address both the management and leadership functions of the director's role; (2) be based on participants' perceived needs; (3) be problem-centered and site-specific; (4) focus on the director as change agent; (5) stress a systems perspective; (6) meet the needs of working professionals; (7) promote the professional advancement of participants; (8) promote participation that reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the field; (9) include follow-up; (10) promote cross-fertilization in the field; (11) promote active learning; and (12) promote collegiality and networking. National-Louis University has developed two training models for childcare center directors. The Early Childhood Leadership and Advocacy Field-Based Program is a 20-month master's degree program specifically designed to accommodate the needs of center directors who want to expand their repertoire of management and leadership skills without interrupting their careers. The Taking Charge of Change Program involves an 8-day intensive leadership training institute during the summer and two follow-up weekend retreats during the following academic year. (A two-page description of ceurs'.s is attached.) (AC) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educenonai Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) XThis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. The Professional Development of Early Childhood Center Directors: Key Elements of Effective Training Models

Child Care for Children With Special Needs

Most children with special needs are more like normally developing children than they are different from them. They share the same zest for discovery, love for stories and music, and delight in dressing in adult clothes. They, too, need to learn to run and play, solve problems, have conversations with friends, and attend to their personal needs. Finding an opening in a child care center can be a long, frustrating experience for families, particularly when employment is essential to cover basic needs. The problem of locating a satisfactory place increases tenfold when children have special needs. After learning that a prospective child has special needs, a child care center director will turn his or her attention to the impact the child's needs might have on center operations. The director fails to recall the commonalities these children share with other enrolled children. Multiple, abortive efforts to locate placement exacerbate family stress. In desperation, parents may drop the criteria they had believed to be important in selecting placement, feeling relieved and grateful that, at last, they can go to work. To address this problem, we will first examine the characteristics of young children with special needs and indicate the prevalence of the problem. The traditional delivery models for early intervention and for child care will be reviewed, and barriers that inhibit provision for children with special needs in child care facilities will be noted. Some current models and practices that are effective will be reviewed. Finally, recommendations will be made for policy makers and providers of services.

The effect of leadership training on child care program quality

Twenty-two individuals participated in a 16-month Early Childhood Leadership Training Program. The content of the training covered all components of the child care center director's role: personal and professional self-knowledge; child development and early childhood programming; organizational theory, leadership style, legal and fiscal issues; parent and community relations/public policy and advocacy; and research and technology. This article documents training outcomes in three areas: (1) participants' level of perceived competence; (2) the quality of classroom teaching practices; and (3) the quality of work life for the staff at their programs. Self-report feedback from participants indicated a statistically significant increase in their perceived level of knowledge and skill in all five task performance areas. Posttest observations of classroom quality revealed a significant improvement in the quality of classroom teaching practices compared to a comparison group not receiving training. A pretest-posttest comparison of organizational climate showed a significant improvement in clarity of program policies, degree of program innovativeness, opportunities for professional growth, and staff's level of perceived decision-making influence.

The Child Care Center Director: Policy Perspectives on Increasing Requisite Qualifications

While the prevailing wisdom in the literature supports the proposition that the early childhood center director is the "gatekeeper to quality," little is known about the type of formal and informal training center directors have had and their attitudes about the appropriateness of that training. The lack of reliable data about center directors has hampered efforts by child care advocates around the country to press for licensing standards that are reasonable and enforceable, yet also promote quality. This article provides a framework for understanding the many issues related to requisite qualifications. It synthesizes the research regarding directors' education, experience, and training and provides policy recommendations for the licensure of personnel assuming this position.

Evaluation of Texas' child-care-oriented nutrition education and training program

Five studies were conducted to evaluate changes in child nutrition related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of child care personnel participating in Texas' Nutrition Education and Training (NET) Program. Pre- and post-testing showed that brief (4–8 hour) workshops were consistently effective in promoting positive changes in knowledge and in reinforcing positive attitudes of teachers and food service personnel in licensed child care centers. Mailed surveys and surveillance of user feedback demonstrated that nutrition teaching aids (e.g., posters, curriculum guides) and food service management materials (e.g., handbooks, cookbooks) distributed to child care centers and made available through NET's lending library collection were used at rates that were acceptable but less than ideal. Data from questionnaires completed by the directors of child care centers whose staff had participated in NET workshops (n = 17) and a comparison group of centers (n = 16) indicated that nutrition instruction in preschool classrooms was closer to ideal in the workshop group. Involving food service personnel in learning activities for the children was a relative strength of nutrition education in the workshop group. Problems diagnosed in day-care center menus (i.e., deficiencies in food energy, iron, and variety of fruit) persisted 6 and 12 weeks after the staff participated in a menu planning workshop. The same pattern of menu strengths and weaknesses was observed in a comparison group (n = 20) as in the workshop group (n = 20). When the results of all five studies were combined, the majority of statistically evaluated outcomes were significantly positive and none were negative. Because the program had a greater impact on knowledge and attitudes than on behavior, it was concluded that, in addition to continued support for the NET program, there is a need for expanding the model on which the program is based.