Families Of Preschool Children Research Articles

Differences in teaching methods of pre-school teachers and parents concerning desirable forms of behaviour

Taking into account cooperation between a pre-school institution and families of pre schoolchildren in creating suitable conditions for optimal development and upbringing of each child, in this paper we are discussing methods of teaching which contribute to this. Differences in the teaching methods were analyzed, concerning family and institutional upbringing in kindergartens, with the purpose of stimulating more purposeful methodological creating of pedagogical-educational work as the basis of nourishing the whole potentials of the child's personality. Findings of the research were discussed, in which parents and pre-school teachers were interviewed about the methods of teaching and desirable forms of behaviour, which were most often used. It was assumed that pre-school teachers, as more component than most of the teachers, applied procedures, which were in accordance with contemporary pedagogical tendencies. Results show that there were statistically significant differences between some variables, i.e. characteristics of pedagogical styles of parents and pre-school teachers. In greater extent, parents apply procedures, which are characteristic for authoritarian style of upbringing (focusing attention to desirable way of behaving 'moralizing', preaching, punishing children who do not obey parents' demands, insisting on strict demands that children must obey the parents' figure). Pre-school teachers practice democratic way of upbringing in greater extent than the parents (putting children in different situations so that they can by their activity gain personality traits and values, giving personal example, etc.).

Parents' perezhivanie supports children's development of emotion regulation: a holistic view

Parents play an influential role in children's emotional development. Numerous quantitative studies have examined the correlations between a single dimension of parents' emotion socialisation practices (e.g. parental emotion expression or attitudes) and children's emotional development. However, little attention has been paid to a holistic view of parents' role in children's emotional development. Drawing upon a cultural-historical theory, this study takes a holistic perspective for examining how parents create the conditions for children's emotional development in everyday family life. Data (n = 61 hours of video observation and interviewing) collected from four families of preschool children in Australia suggest that parents' perezhivanie supports the development of children's emotion regulation. It is argued that perezhivanie must be conceptualised as a collective unity of affect, intellect, and act that reflects both the subject and the environment in researching children's emotional development. Practical suggestions for supporting the pedagogical practices of families and for framing professional training programmes are also provided.

Home food and activity assessment. Development and validation of an instrument for diverse families of young children

The purpose of this study was to refine and psychometrically test an instrument measuring the home food and activity environment of geographically and economically diverse families of preschool aged children. Caregivers of preschool aged children (n = 83) completed a modified self-report questionnaire. Reliably trained researchers conducted independent observations on 25 randomly selected homes. Agreement statistics were conducted at the item level (154 total items) to determine reliability. Frequency counts were calculated to identify item availability. Results showed Kappa statistics were high (.67–1.00) between independent researchers but varied between researchers and parents resulting in 85 items achieving criterion validity (Kappa >.60). Analyses of reliable items revealed the presence in the home of a high frequency of unhealthy snack foods, high fat milk and low frequency of availability of fruits/vegetables and low fat milk. Fifty-two percent of the homes were arranged with a television in the preschool child's bedroom. Physical Activity devices also were found to have high frequency availability. Families reporting lower education reported higher levels of sugar sweetened beverages and less low-fat dairy (p < .05) compared with higher education families. Low-income families (<$27K per year) reported significantly fewer Physical Activity devices (p < .001) compared with higher income families. Hispanic families reported significantly higher numbers of Sedentary Devices (p < .05) compared with non-Hispanic families. There were no significant differences between demographic comparisons on available fruits/vegetables, meats, whole grains, and regular fat dairy. A modified home food and activity instrument was found to reliably identify foods and activity devices with geographically and economically diverse families.

State firearm laws, firearm ownership, and safety practices among families of preschool-aged children.

We investigated how state-level firearms legislation is associated with firearm ownership and storage among families with preschool-aged children. Using 2005 nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (n = 8100), we conducted multinomial regression models to examine the associations between state-level firearms legislation generally, child access prevention (CAP) firearms legislation specifically, and parental firearm ownership and storage safety practices. Overall, 8% of families with children aged 4 years living in states with stronger firearm laws and CAP laws owned firearms compared with 24% of families in states with weaker firearm laws and no CAP laws. Storage behaviors of firearm owners differed minimally across legislative contexts. When we controlled for family- and state-level characteristics, we found that firearm legislation and CAP laws interacted to predict ownership and storage behaviors, with unsafe storage least likely among families in states with both CAP laws and stronger firearm legislation. Broader firearm legislation is linked with the efficacy of child-specific legislation in promoting responsible firearm ownership.

Knowledge, attitude and practice on regional food among families of preschool children

We aimed to verify the knowledge, attitude and practice on the use of regional food of families of preschool children at a rural area. Descriptive-exploratory study with quantitative approach, conducted with 200 families of preschool children, residing in two rural districts of Maranguape-CE, Brazil. We applied a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice survey, focusing on the use of regional food. The districts presented similarities with regard to gender (p=1.000), marital status (p=0.603), education (p=0.349), number of preschool children (p=0.104), and workplace (p=0.632), but had different results regarding family income (p=0.033). As for the regional foods, there was no statistically significant association in knowledge (p=0.731), attitude (p=0.362), and practice (p=0.600) in the study locations, prevailing the inadequate level in the three axes. We verified that the people responsible for preschool children in the two locations were unaware of the regional foods terminology and presented inappropriate knowledge, attitude and practice regarding their use.

Child and family health nurses working with families of preschool‐aged children

To examine child and family health nurses' perceptions of and practices related to working with families of preschool-aged children about their child's behaviour. Emotional and behavioural problems in young children are of increasing concern. Child and family health nurses are well placed to support parents and provide education about behavioural concerns. A qualitative interpretive study informed by ethnography was used. Forty-eight nurses participated in focus groups. Of these nurses, 11 participated in observations of clinical interactions with 23 mothers. Eight managers were interviewed. Three themes and two subthemes emerged from the data: Parents as deficit and nurse as expert; Parents have strengths and nurse as partner; Shaping practice - Time pressures and Wanting respect and to be valued. Child and family health nurses enjoy working with preschool-aged children; however, complex issues and tensions are evident. Nurses need support at all levels within the health service if they are to negotiate an environment of ongoing change and to be enabled to work in partnership with parents and families and thereby promote the emotional and behavioural development of preschool-aged children. The universal role of child and family health nurses provides unique opportunities to support parents about child behaviour concerns. Without appropriate support, nurses continue to work within an expert model that may alienate parents and families from using this service.

Red House 1969–1972: the case for “intermediate” educational institutions

In October 2010 the government confirmed it would introduce a “pupil premium” payable to schools with disadvantaged pupils. This shift towards resourcing by group rather than area may mark the closing of another chapter in efforts to produce a more meritocratic education system utilising what might be termed intermediate institutions. Their predecessors opened more than 3500 Children’s Centres to develop new strategies for working with the families of preschool children in order to alter long-term educational trajectories. This paper reflects on an earlier chapter in public efforts to secure greater educational equality, the first three years of the Red House Education Centre in Denaby Main, a mining village in Yorkshire’s West Riding, in the period 1969 to 1972. Red House was the most significant development arising from the West Riding Educational Priority Area (WREPA) Project and was an example of area-based positive discrimination. The paper explores two key questions. Can schools be re-positioned so that they offer the community an opportunity to develop as active participants in reshaped democratic processes, or are new institutional forms required? Did Red House offer parents and professionals the opportunity to improve educational outcomes in a neutral space where both felt a sense of ownership?

Head Start and Unintended Injury: The Use of the Family Map Interview to Document Risk

Much is known about how to provide safe environments for preschool children (3–5 years-of-age); however, many preschool children still experience preventable injuries—particularly children living in poverty. This study examined the use of an assessment tool used to identify children at risk for unintended injury in two large, federally funded Head Start programs during home visits. Families of preschool children in two multi-center Head Start programs (N = 499 and N = 228) were screened by teachers for risks related to safety in their home and parenting environment during mandatory Head Start home visits in the fall and spring. The safety screening tool was part of an established, broader interview assessment called the Family Map, which was designed to help Head Start programs meet mandatory performance standards related to the identification of risk and strengths in the family. Study results indicated that a large number of preschool children from low-income backgrounds were at risk for a variety of risks related to unintentional injury. Further, in some areas Head Start families increased their safety related parenting behaviors by the second assessment with different areas noted in the two programs. This study demonstrated that, beyond the use of the tool to identify families in need of intervention services, it can be used by childcare providers to effectively monitor family need and for program self-assessment.

Child Care Problems and Employment Among Families With Preschool-Aged Children With Autism in the United States

The impact of childhood autism on parental employment is largely unknown. The purpose of this work was to describe the child care arrangements of children with autism and to determine whether families of preschool-aged children with autism are more likely to report that child care arrangements affected employment compared with typically developing children and children at high risk for developmental problems. METHODS. Parents of 16282 preschool-aged children were surveyed by the National Survey of Children's Health. An autism spectrum disorder was defined as an affirmative response to the question, "Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that [child] has any of the following conditions? Autism?" There were 82 children with autism spectrum disorder in the sample, and 1955 children at high risk on the basis of the Parent's Evaluation of Developmental Status. We used chi(2) and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Ninety-seven percent of preschool-aged children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were cared for in community settings, particularly preschool and Head Start, with only 3% in exclusive parental care. Thirty-nine percent of the parents of children with autism spectrum disorder reported that child care problems had greatly affected their employment decisions, compared with 16% of the children at high risk and 9% of those who were typically developing. In multivariate analyses, families with a child with autism spectrum disorder were 7 times more likely to state that child care problems affected employment than other families, after controlling for household and child covariates. This effect was 3 times larger than the effect of poverty. Developmental problems and autism spectrum disorder are associated with higher use of child care services and higher probability that child care problems will greatly affect employment. These findings warrant evaluation of the community resources available to families with children with special needs.

Predictors of care‐giver stress in families of preschool‐aged children with developmental disabilities

This study examined the predictors, mediators and moderators of parent stress in families of preschool-aged children with developmental disability. One hundred and five mothers of preschool-aged children with developmental disability completed assessment measures addressing the key variables. Analyses demonstrated that the difficulty parents experienced in completing specific care- giving tasks, behaviour problems during these care-giving tasks, and level of child disability, respectively, were significant predictors of level of parent stress. In addition, parents' cognitive appraisal of care-giving responsibilities had a mediating effect on the relationship between the child's level of disability and parent stress. Mothers' level of social support had a moderating effect on the relationship between key independent variables and level of parent stress. Difficulty of care-giving tasks, difficult child behaviour during care-giving tasks, and level of child disability are the primary factors which contribute to parent stress. Implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are outlined.

Reducing problem behavior during care-giving in families of preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities

This study evaluated two variants of a behavioral parent training program known as Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) using 74 preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities. Families were randomly allocated to an enhanced parent training intervention that combined parenting skills and care-giving coping skills (SSTP-E), standard parent training intervention alone (SSTP-S) or waitlist control (WL) condition. At post-intervention, both programs were associated with lower levels of observed negative child behavior, reductions in the number of care-giving settings where children displayed problem behavior, and improved parental competence and satisfaction in the parenting role as compared with the waitlist condition. Gains attained at post-intervention were maintained at 1-year follow-up. Both interventions produced significant reductions in child problem behavior, with 67% of children in the SSTP-E and 77% of children in the SSTP-S showing clinically reliable change from pre-intervention to follow-up. Parents reported a high level of satisfaction with both interventions.

Transmission of H. pylori infection: Study in families of preschool-aged children from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Transmission of H. pylori infection: Study in families of preschool-aged children from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Transmission of H. pylori infection: Study in families of preschool-aged children from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Transmission of H. pylori infection: Study in families of preschool-aged children from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Teachers' perspectives on support for under-fives in families of ethnic minority origin

Following the initial survey into provision for young deaf children in families of ethnic minority origin (Turner, 1996), teachers of the deaf in eight different areas of England were interviewed. Most of the families served by these teachers were of South Asian origin. Developing mutual respect and partnership was believed by teachers to be a primary aim when working with families of pre-school children. Yet, where cultural difference and language barriers undermined two-way communication, establishing a close, trusting relationship was perceived to be a challenge. The teachers interviewed believed that problems could be alleviated by more generous resourcing of specialist interpreters and printed and video material in several minority languages. More sensitive and flexible funding arrangements which allowed for the pooling of resources across LEAs was seen by teachers as a step in the right direction of providing a high quality service and of ensuring equality of opportunity for deaf children and families of minority ethnic origin.

Teachers' perspectives on support for under-fives in families of ethnic minority origin

AbstractFollowing the initial survey into provision for young deaf children in families of ethnic minority origin (Turner, 1996), teachers of the deaf in eight different areas of England were interviewed. Most of the families served by these teachers were of South Asian origin. Developing mutual respect and partnership was believed by teachers to be a primary aim when working with families of pre-school children. Yet, where cultural difference and language barriers undermined two-way communication, establishing a close, trusting relationship was perceived to be a challenge. The teachers interviewed believed that problems could be alleviated by more generous resourcing of specialist interpreters and printed and video material in several minority languages. More sensitive and flexible funding arrangements which allowed for the pooling of resources across LEAs was seen by teachers as a step in the right direction of providing a high quality service and of ensuring equality of opportunity for deaf children an...

Preschool Literacy Experiences of Children in Punjabi, Urdu and Gujerati Speaking Families in England

AbstractThis paper discusses some findings from a literacy survey of 30 Asian families with preschool children. Research has been undertaken with bilingual preschool children but there is little research with families of preschool children whose first language is Punjabi, Urdu or Gujerati. Families in this survey lived in an inner‐city area in England and were mainly of Pakistani origin. Families were interviewed at home with the assistance of an interpreter where necessary. Parents reported extensive preschool activities in the home, high aspirations for their children's education and a willingness to be involved in home‐school links. Issues arising and implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Interim Report of a Randomized Trial with Short-Term Maintenance

Describes interim results of a study examining the effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) with families of preschool-age children with oppositional defiant disorder. Following an initial assessment, 64 clinic-referred families were randomly assigned to an immediate treatment (IT) or a wait-list control (WL) condition. Results indicated that parents in the IT condition interacted more positively with their child and were more successful in gaining their child's compliance than parents in the WL condition. In addition, parents who received treatment reported decreased parenting stress and a more internal locus of control. Parents in the IT group reported statistically and clinically significant improvements in their child's behavior following PCIT. All families who received treatment reported high levels of satisfaction with both the content and process of PCIT. Preliminary 4-month follow-up data showed that parents maintained gains on all self-report measures.

A Description and Evaluation of a Community Child Mental Health Service

A community-based child mental health service was established for families of preschool children with emotional and behavioural problems in the children, psychosocial problems in the family or parenting difficulties. The intervention was home-based and conducted by health visitors and paediatric community medical officers trained in parent counselling, parenting issues and child behavioural management. The approach was based upon frameworks derived from counselling theory, with the intervention dependent upon the development of a trusting and respectful partnership with the parents. The aims were to promote and support the parents' own exploration of the identified problems, and to help them establish clear aims and effective problem management strategies. Ongoing supervision was provided by a clinical psychologist. The evidence indicated that the training course was acceptable to non-mental health professionals and effective in preparing them to work with psychosocial problems. The service was a feasible option for work at the community level; it was acceptable to both referrers and parents and beneficial for families living in a very deprived inner-city community.

Families' Perceptions of Early Intervention Services for Children With Hearing Loss

A national survey was distributed to families of preschool-age children who are deaf or hard of hearing in order to investigate parent's perceptions of family involvement in early intervention programs, as intended by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (formerly P.L. 99-457). Questions were organized into five categories: (1) the family's experiences with their early intervention program, (2) information provided by their early intervention program, (3) experiences in writing the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), (4) demographic information concerning the family, and (5) demographic information concerning the child. Surveys were returned from all geographic regions of the United States, representing parents from a wide variety of backgrounds. Results indicate that although an IFSP had not been developed by almost one-half of the respondents, those who responded reported overall satisfaction with their early intervention program.

An Evaluation of Parents' Involvement in the Management of their Cerebral Plasy Children

Summary This study was undertaken to evaluate parents' response to the ‘management approach’ in treating their cerebral palsied children as promoted by the community paediatric physiotherapists in two inner city health authorities. A questionnaire was designed to collect data about parents' responses to carrying out the home programmes themselves and physiotherapists' promotion of the management approach. It was completed by 23 families of pre-school age children with cerebral palsy. Findings indicate that, while there is much progress toward involving parents in the management of their children, there is much more to be done to reinforce the collaborative role in therapy and to integrate therapy into activites of daily living.