Day Care Providers Research Articles

Systematic review of parenting interventions in European countries aiming to reduce social inequalities in children's health and development.

BackgroundEarly child development influences many aspects of wellbeing, health, competence in literacy and numeracy, criminality, and social and economic participation throughout the life course. Children from disadvantaged groups have less possibilities of achieving full development. By providing a positive start for all children across the social gradient, improved developmental outcomes will be seen during later childhood and throughout their lives. The objective of this systematic review was to identify interventions during early childhood in countries from the World Health Organisation European Region in 1999–2013 which reduced inequalities in children’s health and development.MethodsA systematic review was carried out adhering to the PRISMA guidelines. The review examined universal, targeted and proportionate universalism interventions, programs and services using an electronic search strategy in PubMed and the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences [IBSS] databases. A further search was performed in the grey literature. Interventions were included only if they were aimed at children or their parents and had been evaluated.ResultsWe identified 23 interventions in total: 6 in the PubMed data base, 5 in IBSS and 12 in grey literature. All but 1 intervention-delivered in Sweden-were carried out in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. These aimed to improve parenting abilities, however, some had additional components such as: day-care provision, improving housing conditions and speech or psychological therapies. Programmes offering intensive support, information and home visits using a psycho-educational approach and aimed at developing parent’s and children’s skills showed more favourable outcomes. These were parenting behaviours, overall children’s health and higher level of fine motor skills and cognitive functioning. Child injuries and abuse were also reduced. Two interventions were universally proportionate and all others were aimed at a specific target population.ConclusionsInterventions with better outcomes and a higher level of evidence combined workshops and educational programmes for both parents and children beginning during early pregnancy and included home visits by specialised staff. Further evaluation and publication of early years interventions should be carried out also within a wider range of countries than just the UK and Ireland.

Parent-Child Automaticity: Links to Child Coping and Behavior and Engagement in Parent Training.

This research investigated parent-child automaticity (i.e., automatic ways of thinking, feeling, and interacting) as it relates to child coping and behavior and caregiver engagement in a preventive parenting program, as well as program-related changes in automaticity. 610 caregivers (93% mothers) of children ages 3-6 years (52% boys; 49% African American) enrolled in the Parenting our Children to Excellence (PACE) program, and completed pre- and post- intervention assessments (N = 544 at post-intervention). Daycare providers also provided reports of school coping and behavior. Parent-child automaticity predicted parent and teacher- reported child social coping and aggressive behavior. Contrary to hypotheses, parents reporting elevated parent-child automaticity attended significantly more PACE sessions. A significant time x attendance interaction indicated decreased automaticity following the PACE program. Parent-child automaticity during the preschool years is an important correlate of child behavior and coping, and may be a motivating factor for parents to attend parent training programs.

Photo Quiz: An Unwelcome Passenger in a 17-Month-Old Male

A 17-month-old boy was presented to his general practitioner after his daycare provider found a worm embedded in his stool during diapering. The stool was described as having a solid consistency, and the worm was found only partially exposed. The patient was not suffering any obvious

American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council: Guidelines for Group Aquatic Outings

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death that disproportionately affects children. Though drowning deaths do not occur in epidemic proportions, the drowning of even one child is an incomprehensible tragedy and immeasurable loss to the parents and family. Much has been written about ways to prevent childhood drowning. Strategies include but are not limited to secure fencing, lifeguard supervision, lifejackets for weak or nonswimmers, learning to swim, and, most importantly, parental supervision. But what of the times when parents are not part of the solution providing supervision-times such as when the child is at school or with a daycare provider. Each year, as schools come to a close, teachers search for fun and exciting activities for that last field trip of the year, and daycare agencies and child service providers are organizing summer activities. One of the most popular activities is an aquatic outing. Unfortunately, and all too often, preplanning is poor or nonexistent, and child care staff and teachers tend to rely solely on lifeguards rather than providing active supervision for their charges. The consequences of poor planning and inattention by staff can end in tragedy. In Dallas, Texas, two children nearly drowned during an aquatic outing attended by 55 other children ages 6 and 7. A 5-year-old kindergarten student drowned when he and 107 other students attended an aquatic outing at a local pool. A 7-year-old girl drowned while attending a day camp with 38 other campers and 6 counselors. These are only a few examples of the dozens of swimming pool drownings that are recorded every year in the United States between Memorial Day (May) and Labor Day (September). Should parents not have an expectation of safety when the school or daycare has charge of their child? Should parents not have an expectation that proper preplanning and adequate supervision have been addressed before an aquatic outing? The purposes of this paper are to educate parents, daycare providers, teachers, and elementary school principals about the potential risks of drowning, to provide guidelines for systematic preplanning, and to recommend ratios for staff supervision for aquatic outings. The full report is available Open Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijare.2014-0049 Language: en

영유아의 수면양상과 어린이집 초기 적응

The present study investigated the sleep patterns 1-to 3-year-old children and examined whether their sleep patterns would predict their early adjustment to daycare centers. The participants were 239 young children attending daycare centers in Seoul. The data on children's sleep patterns were collected by parent report. Children's adjustment to daycare was assessed by daycare providers' reports. The data were analyzed by means of Chi-square test, t-test, Pearson's correlation, ANOVA and discriminant analysis. The results were as follows: Children from dual-earner families had shorter nocturnal sleep duration than those from single-earner families. There was no significant relation between daytime sleep duration and sleep-onset time at night. It was found that children who go to bed earlier were more likely to get sufficient sleep without nocturnal wakefulness. Age and total sleep duration were seen to be significant variables when it came to discriminating between the adjustment versus maladjustment groups.

The influence of children's day care on antibiotic seeking: a mixed methods study.

Preschool-aged children are the highest consumers of antibiotics, but consult mainly for viral infections. Little is known about how day care, which is common in this age group, influences primary care consulting and treatment-seeking behaviours. To investigate daycare providers' approaches to excluding and/or readmitting children with infections, and the consequences for parents' consulting and antibiotic-seeking behaviours. Cross-sectional survey, document analysis, and qualitative interviews of daycare providers and parents in South East Wales, UK. A total of 328 daycare providers were asked to complete a survey about infection exclusion practices and to provide a copy of their sickness exclusion policy. Next, 52 semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively selected questionnaire responders and parents using their services. Questionnaire responses underwent bivariate analysis, policies underwent document analysis, and interviews were thematically analysed using constant comparison methods. In total 217 out of 328 (66%) daycare providers responded; 82 out of 199 (41%) reported advising parents that their child may need antibiotics and 199 out of 214 (93%) reported advising general practice consultations. Interviews confirmed that such advice was routine, and beliefs about antibiotic indications often went against clinical guidelines: 24% (n = 136) of sickness exclusion policies mentioning infections made at least one non-evidence-based indication for 'treatment' or antibiotics. Parent interviews revealed that negotiating daycare requirements lowered thresholds for consulting and encouraged antibiotic seeking. Daycare providers encourage parents to consult general practice and seek antibiotics through non-evidence-based policies and practices. Parents' perceptions of daycare providers' requirements override their own beliefs of when it is appropriate to consult and seek treatment.

Associations between parental psychological well-being and socio-emotional development in 5-year-old preterm children

BackgroundPreterm children are at risk for developing behavioral and emotional problems, as well as being less socially competent. Premature birth causes chronic distress in the parents. AimsThe aim of the paper is to discover whether parental psychological well-being is associated with the social, behavioral, and functional development of very low birth weight (VLBW, ≤1500g) children at 5years of age. Study designA longitudinal prospective cohort study. SubjectsA cohort of 201 VLBW infants (≤1500g, <37weeks of gestation) born during 2001–2006 in Turku University Hospital, Finland was studied. Outcome measuresAt 4-year chronological age of their child, parents independently completed validated questionnaires (Beck Depression Inventory, Parenting Stress Index and Sense of Coherence Scale). At 5years, parents and day-care providers evaluated the development of the child by completing the Five to Fifteen questionnaire. ResultsThe parents of VLBW children reported significantly more problems in child development compared to the Finnish normative data. Depressive symptoms and weaker sense of coherence in mothers, but not in fathers, were associated with more problems in child development. Parenting stress, for both mothers and fathers, was associated with developmental problems in their child at 5years of age. ConclusionsMaternal depressive symptoms and parenting stress of both parents may be risk factors for the social, behavioral, and functional development of 5-year-old preterm children. On the other hand, stronger maternal sense of coherence may be a protective factor.

Case 1: A 15-month-old boy with bilateral upper extremity burns

A 15-month-old boy was playing outside at a private home daycare. After returning inside, the daycare provider washed the toddler’s hands in the sink under running water. The child cried, as he always did, during this daily hand-washing ritual. Over the next hour, the child continued to cry and the skin on his hands began to blister. His mother was immediately notified and she brought him to a local emergency department, where the physician noted blistered partial-thickness burns to both hands with sharp demarcation lines of erythema extending around both wrists suggesting an immersion pattern (Figures 1 and ​and2).2). The physician reported the case to local child protection authorities because the appearance of this ‘glove-type’ pattern of burn injury suggested an immersion mechanism. Figure 1) Extensive blistering of palmar surfaces with sharp demarcation at the wrists Figure 2) Less blistering of the dorsal surface of the hand, although the line of demarcation is still apparent A police investigation was conducted based on local protocols for child protection investigations, and included a site visit, measurement of the water temperature at the sink and the water heater, and a detailed re-enactment of events by the daycare provider. This was a previously well child with no other injuries. The daycare is a well-established home daycare with an unblemished safety record. Investigators determined that the water reached a maximum temperature of 55.5°C (131.9° Fahrenheit) at the sink. The provider demonstrated how she had stood behind the child to assist him with hand washing over a period of 15 s to 30 s. The water had been running the entire time while the other two children washed their hands. Neither the caregiver nor the other children’s hands were burned.

Trauma-Focused CBT for Reducing the Behavior Problems of Adolescents Abused Sexually during Childhood

history of childhood is a nightmare from which we have only recently begun to awaken. The further back in history one goes, the lower the level of child care, and the more likely children are to be killed, abandoned, beaten, terrorized and sexually abused.(DeMause, 1974, p.l).19% of world's children live in and every fifth child across the world lives in (National Study of Child Abuse, NSCA, 2007). According to Working Group Report on Women and Children for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012), India has the world's largest number of sexually abused children, with a child below 16 years raped every 155th minute, a child below 10 every 13th hour, and one in every 10 children sexually abused at any point of time (NSCA, 2007, p. 7). Child sexual abuse is the involvement of a child in a sexual activity that he or she does not comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violate the laws or social taboos of society (World Health Organization, WHO, 2006). It is evidenced by the activity between a child and an adult or another child who by age or development is in a relationship of responsibility, trust or power, the activity being intended to gratify or satisfy the needs of the other person (WHO, 2006). Sexual abuse tends to include physical as well as non-physical acts. It incorporates fondling a child's genitals, making the child fondle an adult's genitals, sexual assault (intercourse, incest, rape and sodomy), exhibitionism and pornography. To be considered child abuse, these acts have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of the child or related to the child (for example a baby-sitter, parent, neighbor, relatives, extended family member, peer, older child, friend, stranger, or a day-care provider) (NSCA, 2007).According to the first ever national 'Study on Child Abuse' (2007) released by Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development covering 13 Indian states and comprising 12447 children (51.9% males, 48.1% females) in the age group of 5-18 years: 53.22% children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Delhi reported the highest percentage of sexual abuse among both boys and girls. 21.90% child respondents reported facing severe forms of sexual abuse and 50.76% other forms of sexual abuse. 50% abuses are persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility. Most children did not report the matter to anyone. According to Tulir (2006), study comprising 2211 school going children in Chennai, the prevalence rate of child sexual abuse was found to be 42%, with children from all socio-economic status being equally vulnerable. Whereas the prevalence rate among girls was found to be 39%, it was 48% among boys. 15% of both girls and boys had been abused severely. In another study it was found by Sahski (1997), an organization based in Delhi, that 63% of girls in Delhi, have had experienced child sexual abuse at the hands of a family member (Ministry of Women and Child Development, MWCD, 2006). In a study of conducted by RAHI (Recovering and Healing from Incest, 1997) comprising 1000 girls from 5 different states in India, it was found that 50% of the girls reported to have had experienced abuse before the age of 12, where 35% had been abused between the ages of 12- 16 years (MWCD, 2006). In a cross-sectional survey through focused group discussions by Patel and Andrew (2001), on 811 adolescents from 11th standard from various higher secondary schools of Goa, it was found that some form of sexual abuse had been experienced by one-third of adolescents. With approximately 6% of adolescents underwent coercive sex.The review of empirical data by Araji and Finkelhor (1986) attempted to explain the causes behind adults getting sexually interested and involved with children. It has been suggested in this review that: (1) best experimental research were directed toward establishing that those who did sexual abuse do show an unusual pattern of sexual arousal towards children, (2) molesters in many studies were blocked in their social and heterosexual relationships; (3) a well established disinhibiting factor which played a crucial role in many sexual abuse offences was found to be alcohol; (4) even the 'emotional congruence' notion was supported in this review, that children, due to their lack of dominance, do have some special meaning for paedophiles; and (4) many perpetrators of child sexual abuse themselves were victims of childhood sexual abuse (Araji & Finkelhor, 1986). …

Prenatal testosterone and preschool Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD), including Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), are fairly common and highly impairing childhood behavior disorders that can be diagnosed as early as preschool. Prenatal exposure to testosterone may be particularly relevant to these early-emerging DBDs that exhibit a sex-biased prevalence rate favoring males. The current study examined associations between preschool DBD symptom domains and prenatal exposure to testosterone measured indirectly via right 2D:4D finger-length ratios. The study sample consisted of 109 preschool-age children between ages 3 and 6 (64% males; 72% with DBD) and their primary caregivers. Primary caregivers completed a semi-structured interview (i.e., Kiddie Disruptive Behavior Disorder Schedule), as well as symptom questionnaires (i.e., Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale, Peer Conflict Scale); teachers and/or daycare providers completed symptom questionnaires and children provided measures of prenatal testosterone exposure, measured indirectly via finger-length ratios (i.e., right 2D:4D). Study results indicated a significant association of high prenatal testosterone (i.e., smaller right 2D:4D) with high hyperactive–impulsive ADHD symptoms in girls but not boys, suggesting that the effect may be driven by, or might only exist in, girls. The present study suggests that prenatal exposure to testosterone may increase risk for early ADHD, particularly hyperactivity–impulsivity, in preschool girls.

Merely Misunderstood? Receptive, Expressive, and Pragmatic Language in Young Children With Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Children with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) often seem to have poorer language skills compared to same-age peers; however, language as an early risk factor for DBD has received little empirical attention. The present study provides an empirical examination of associations between normal language variation and DBD by investigating receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language skills and preschool DBD symptoms. The sample consisted of 109 preschoolers ages 3 to 6 (M = 4.77 years, SD = 1.10, 59% boys; 73% with DBD, including oppositional defiant disorder [ODD] and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) along with their primary caregivers, who completed a clinician-administered interview, symptom questionnaires, and a questionnaire measure of pragmatic language, and teacher and/or daycare providers completed symptom questionnaires. Children completed objective tests of receptive and expressive vocabulary. Preschoolers with DBD showed poorer receptive, expressive, and pragmatic skills compared to preschoolers without DBD. Preschoolers with ADHD-only or ADHD+ODD exhibited poorer language skills, compared to ODD and non-DBD groups. Specificity analyses suggested that parent-rated hyperactivity-impulsivity were particularly associated with poorer language skills. Thus, preschoolers with DBD exhibited poorer language skills compared to preschoolers without DBD, and preschoolers with increased hyperactivity-impulsivity exhibited particular problems with language skills. This work suggests the need for early assessment of language in preschoolers, particularly those with ADHD, as well as the possible utility of tailored interventions focused on improving language skills, particularly for those with high hyperactivity-impulsivity.

Maternal labor market return and domestic work after childbirth in Britain and Germany

This study investigates how the duration of maternal labor market interruptions and mothers' employment status after return relate to the division of domestic work in couples after childbirth in West Germany, East Germany, and Britain. It extends the literature by considering how these two aspects of postnatal labor market return decisions of mothers may give rise to or counteract growing gender inequality in domestic work afterbirth events. Using data on 826 British and 1614 German new parent couples based on the British Household Panel Study (BHPS) (1991–2008) and on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) (1990–2010), I apply fixed-effects panel models. Mothers perform more housework with increasing length of their employment interruptions across the three contexts. For childcare, longer time-outs increase mothers' childcare share in West Germany but not in East Germany. This result is in line with institutional variations in day-care provision. Across contexts, mothers' full-time returns are associated with a larger reduction in their domestic work share than short time-out. After mothers returned to part-time employment, couples show no or much weaker compensating behaviors for longer previous maternal time-outs than after a full-time return.

The Communicative Management of Emotional Display Expectations by In-Home Daycare Providers

This study responds to three gaps in the research regarding emotional labor: First, research has tended to privilege the structural forces influencing emotional labor while giving minimal attention to agency. Second, research on emotional labor has privileged work in traditional organizations, foregoing the possibility that owner-operators of small businesses (such as in-home daycare providers) experience the demands of emotional labor. Third, the emotional labor research has examined primarily short-term contexts. The current research reports the results of an interview-based study designed to explore how the participants in a long-term relational context (in-home daycare providers) communicatively manage the emotional display expectations of parents of children in their care. The themes that emerged from the data—structural strategies, interactional strategies, and individual strategies—represent communicative means that in-home daycare providers used to manage the emotional display expectations of parents. The study concludes by discussing the merit of considering the existence of and need to explore further emotional labor in nontraditional organizations such as owner-operated and in-home businesses.

388 The Preschoolers Activity Trial (PAT): a Randomized Controlled Trial of Physical Activity Intervention in the Early Years

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) provides widespread health benefits, including pediatric obesity prevention, but less than 10% of Canadian children meet PA guidelines and one in three are overweight or obese. Since...

A programme of care in palliative day care

Palliative day care aims to help patients and carers to live a good quality of life within the limitations of their illness. The last 30 years has seen an exponential...

A community‐based study of sleep and behaviour problems in 12‐ to 36‐month‐old children

While evidence suggests sleep problems are common in young children and linked to behavioural problems, studies of toddlers are rare. This community-based cross-sectional study examined associations between sleep problems and daytime behaviour among 58 children aged 1 to 3 years who attended daycare centres. Mothers and daycare providers completed four and three questionnaires, respectively, about children's sleep patterns and behaviour. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) children with higher sleep problem scores would have more behavioural problems by parental and daycare provider report; (2) problematic napping behaviours would be associated with night sleep problems. Mothers' reports of sleep problems were positively associated with children's behavioural problems at home and daycare providers' reports of nap problems were positively correlated with children's behavioural problems at daycare. Daycare providers' reports of children's behavioural problems at daycare were associated with maternal reports of behavioural problems. Older children in the sleep problem group had maternal reports of more behavioural problems. Daycare providers reported that children with sleep problems were less happy at daycare. Children who were happier following naps had less reported night settling difficulties. Children with difficulty settling for naps at daycare had maternal reports of more behavioural problems. Napping in daycare settings is an important component of toddlers' sleep. Crossover effects between children's sleep and behaviour at daycare and home indicate similarities in mothers' and daycare providers' perceptions. Findings suggest parent and daycare provider interactions include discussions about sleep problems and settling at home and in daycares. Parents and daycare providers would benefit from education about relationships between sleep and behavioural problems.

Using Videoconferencing Technology to Enhance Classroom Observation Methodology for the Instruction of Preservice Early Childhood Professionals

To learn about and become acclimated to the environment in which they someday plan to work, preservice teachers and pre-professional daycare providers are typically required to conduct onsite observations. Traditionally, these observations require that the pre-professional spend a required number of hours studying the dynamics of the real-world classroom. Although there are clear benefits to this practice, there are also limitations. In one educational program, videoconferencing technology was used as a means to offset these limitations and, more important, to enhance the benefits of this necessary practice. Results from this study indicate that remote video observations were preferred by participants in most aspects over those conducted onsite and produced quantifiably richer and more effective observation experiences.

Positive Highlights on Quality Daycare for Children: A North West of Ireland Study

This study (2006–2007) sought to explore and examine whether the provision of full daycare improves the quality of life for children and their parents. There are now 60.8% of women employed in the workforce, according to the Central Statistics Office (2008). This means many changes for children, parents and families. Twenty-seven childcare managers in the North West of Ireland were interviewed. Also, 325 questionnaires were completed by working parents. Babies as young as four months are being cared for in childcare facilities from 6:45 am until 6:00 pm daily, five days per week. Some children are spending up to 11 hours per day in childcare facilities. The study concluded that full daycare can have both positive and negative effects for children. Childcare facilities are providing good-quality childcare encompassing various services. Parents are finding it difficult to manage the work–life balance. Health dominated quality-of-life issues. Two hundred and thirty-five (73%) parents reported being stressed. The study also found that 315 (97%) working parents feel that the government is not doing enough to support working parents. On a positive note, 241 (74%) parents said they are happy in general with the quality of life for them, their family and their children.

Cytomegalovirus seroconversion rates and risk factors: implications for congenital CMV

Congenital CMV infection is caused by in utero mother-to-fetus transmission and is a leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities. The highest risk of disability is to children born to women who have a primary infection during pregnancy, which can be detected by measuring seroconversion. We reviewed studies that reported rates of CMV seroconversion in different populations. Among pregnant women, annual seroconversion rates typically ranged from 1 to 7% (summary annual rate = 2.3%, 95% CI = 2.1-2.4%). Healthcare workers, including those caring for infants and children, had seroconversion rates similar to pregnant women (summary annual rate = 2.3%, 95% CI = 1.9-2.9%). Among day-care providers, seroconversion rates ranged from 0 to 12.5% (summary annual rate = 8.5%, 95% CI = 6.1-11.6%). Parents whose child was not shedding CMV were much less likely to seroconvert (summary annual rate = 2.1%, 95% CI = 0.3-6.8%) than were parents who had a child shedding CMV (summary annual rate = 24%, 95% CI = 18-30%). Nevertheless, over the course of a year, most parents exposed to a CMV-shedding child do not become infected. Other groups with elevated risk included families with a CMV-shedding member, female minority adolescents and women attending sexually transmitted disease clinics. The relatively low rate of CMV seroconversion in most populations is encouraging for behavioural interventions and for vaccine strategies attempting to prevent infection during pregnancy.

Exploring childcare: A north west of Ireland study

This study sought to explore and examine if the provision of full day care improves the quality of life for children and their parents. There are now 60.8% of women employed in the workforce (CSO, 2008). This means many changes for children, parents and families. Twenty-seven childcare managers in the north west of Ireland were interviewed. Also, 325 questionnaires were completed by working parents. Babies as young as four months are being cared for in childcare facilities from 6.45am until 6pm daily, five days per week. Some children are spending up to 11 hours per day in childcare facilities. The study concluded that full day care can have both positive and negative effects for children. Childcare facilities are providing good quality childcare encompassing various services. Parents are finding it difficult to manage work life balance. Health dominated quality of life issues. Two hundred and thirty five (235) (73%) parents reported being stressed. The study also found that 315 (97%) working parents feel that the government is not doing enough to support working parents. On a positive note, 241 (74%) parents said they are happy in general with the quality of life for them, their family and their children.