Os primeiros anos da infância são primordiais para que a criança esteja em um ambiente estimulador, prazeroso e lúdico, com oportunidades para desenvolver seus sentidos e habilidades. A criança quando estimulada se torna mais ativa, dinâmica, criativa, emocionalmente equilibrada e saudável, e passa a realizar melhor as atividades propostas, a encontrar soluções e a apresentar uma boa socialização. Os objetivos do presente trabalho foram: verificar, em crianças de creche, o efeito da estimulação ambiental e voltada para as necessidades específicas individuais sobre o desenvolvimento psicomotor e mental, bem como sobre o comportamento, avaliados segundo as Escalas Bayley do Desenvolvimento Infantil Segunda Edição (1993); comparar os grupos com ganhos e perdas nos índices apurados, de acordo com as variáveis consideradas como fatores de risco ao desenvolvimento; analisar a correlação entre os índices do desenvolvimento e o comportamento. A amostra foi constituída por 50 crianças de ambos os sexos, com faixa etária entre 4 e 42 meses, que freqüentavam duas creches do município de Ribeirão Preto. Foram realizadas entrevistas individuais com os pais ou responsáveis e as crianças foram submetidas à avaliação do desenvolvimento infantil, utilizando-se as Escalas Bayley de Desenvolvimento Infantil, em duas fases: antes (Fase I) e após (Fase II) um período de estimulação do desenvolvimento implementado em uma das creches. Os valores médios do Índice de Desenvolvimento Mental (IDM) e do Índice de Desenvolvimento Psicomotor (IDP), de ambos os grupos Estimulado (E) e Não Estimulado (NE), encontravam-se na classificação de desenvolvimento normal, nas Fases I e II. Na Fase I, o IDP médio do Grupo NE foi significativamente maior do que o do Grupo E. Houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre o valor médio de IDP na Fase I e na Fase II do Grupo E (I < II). Maior tempo de amamentação e idade da criança apresentaram correlação com aumento dos índices na avaliação do desenvolvimento mental; e carência nutricional com diminuição, no Grupo E. Maior peso ao nascimento e menor idade ao engatinhar apresentaram correlação com aumento dos índices de desenvolvimento psicomotor no Grupo NE. Não foi possível comparações dado o pequeno número com redução no IDP. Com relação à Avaliação do Comportamento (BRS Behavior Rating Scale), houve diferença significativa entre Fase I e II para o Grupo Estimulado nos Fatores Controle Emocional e Qualidade Motora. Comparando-se os valores de BRS, IDM e IDP, obteve-se que os valores maiores da BRS foram nos grupos com ganhos, principalmente entre os estimulados, embora sem diferença estatisticamente significativa, porém com tendência (p=0,06) em IDM. Os dados obtidos sugerem para a amostra estudada que baixa renda familiar, má alimentação materna e uso de tabaco durante a gestação, más condições de alimentação e saúde atual das crianças, problemas de relacionamento pai-criança e entre os pais mostraram-se potenciais fatores de risco ao desenvolvimento. Por outro lado, idade e escolaridade dos pais, melhores condições de saneamento e moradia, pré-natal adequado, parto normal, peso e tamanho adequados ao nascimento, desenvolvimento postural dentro da normalidade, mostraram-se potenciais fatores de proteção ao desenvolvimento. Conclui-se que estimulação ambiental e voltada para as necessidades específicas individuais pode auxiliar o desenvolvimento psicomotor e a qualidade do comportamento. / The first years of childhood are essential to the child, is an environment stimulating, pleasurable and fun, with opportunities to develop their senses and abilities. When stimulated, the child becomes more active, dynamic, creative, emotionally balanced and healthy, and will perform better the proposed activities, to find solutions and make a good socialization. The objectives of this study were: to determine, in children from day care, the effect of environmental stimulation and toward the specific needs of individual mental and psychomotor development as well as behavior, evaluated according to the Bayley Scales of Infant Development - Second edition (1993); compare the groups with gains and losses recorded in the indices, according to the variables considered as risk factors for development; analyze the correlation between the indices of development MDI (Mental Development Index) and PDI (Psychomotor Development Index), and behavior (BRS Behavior Rating Scale), established by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development - Second Edition (1993). The sample consisted of 50 children of both sexes, aged between 4 and 42 months, who attended two day care centers in the city of Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil. Individual interviews were conducted with parents or guardians and the children were submitted to evaluation of development, using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, in two phases: before (Phase I) and after (Phase II) a period stimulation of the development implemented in one of the day care centers. The average values of MDI and PDI of both groups - Stimulated (E) and Non-Stimulated (NE), were in the classification of normal development in Phases I and II. In Phase I, the average PDI of Group NE was significantly higher than that of Group E (p =0,002). There was a statistically significant difference between the average value of PDI in Phase I and Phase II of Group E, higher in the phase II (p=0,002). Longer breast-feeding and child\'s age also correlated with increases in indices in the assessment of mental development; and nutritional status with a decrease in Group E. Higher birth weight and lower the age creep showed correlation with increased indices of psychomotor development in Group NE. None of the variables of personal history, family and environmental analysis also correlated with an increase or decrease of the indices in the assessment of psychomotor development of the Group E, which may suggest that the increase in PDI is the result of stimulation implemented with this group. Regarding the Assessment of Behavior, there was significant difference between Phase I and II for the Group Stimulated in Emotional Control and Motor Quality Factors. Comparing the values of BRS, MDI and PDI, it was obtained that the higher values of BRS were the groups with gains, particularly among stimulated, but no statistically significant difference, but with a tendency (p = 0.06) for gains in MDI. The data suggest for the sample studied that low-income family, poor maternal nutrition and smoking during pregnancy; poor conditions of nutrition and health of children today; problems of relationship between parent-child and the parents seemed to be potential factors for risk to development. While, higher age and parents\' education; better sanitation and housing conditions; adequate prenatal care; normal delivery; weight and size appropriate for the birth; postural development within the normal range, were potential protective factors to development. It is concluded that environmental stimulation and toward the individual needs can assist the psychomotor development and quality of behavior.

This study identified transition practices used by teachers and/or primary caregivers of infants and toddlers when entering child care programs across Dallas , TX . Participants completed the Program Entry Transition Practices Survey regarding their use of transition practices in fall 2003 and perceived barriers to entry transition practices. Results show frequency tallies, percentages of use for each transition practice, and the mean number of practices used for the entire sample and with the sample split according to participants from profit and non-profit programs. Results were also organized into four subscales based on the type of practice used. Results supported the hypothesis that teachers and caregivers would report more transition practices occurring after beginning care and directed towards a group than those occurring before beginning care and directed towards an individual. In response to the broader research question regarding barriers: Teachers and caregivers from profit and non-profit centers reported similar barriers to implementing transition practices.

Based on the survey results of 150 South Korea toddler caregivers about training needs, I developed a relationship-based approach for a toddler caregiver training program. The training program was modified using suggestions provided by 6 South Korean professors, who were asked to review the program. Survey findings revealed that: (a) All participants (toddler caregivers) perceived that it is necessary for caregivers to attend training. However, most (72.2%) found that it was difficult to attend training programs more than 1 time per year because it was hard to find a substitute teacher (64%). Participants desired to attend training programs on toddler care because of the lack of in-service education (26%), curriculum (24%), and training programs (15.3%); (b) Caregivers who had the third-degree caregiver certification preferred to learn parent education more than child development. However, caregivers who had a higher degree of caregiver certification preferred to learn child development more than parent education; and (c) Caregivers who had more than 5 years of teaching experience preferred to learn about the teacher's role more than caregivers who had fewer than 4 years of teaching experience. Future studies need to evaluate the effect of this relationship-based training program for toddler caregivers in relation to improvement in the quality of child care and interaction between caregivers and toddlers. A large-scale study would increase the generalizability of research findings. A larger sample size from different cities in South Korea and random sampling would generate more reliable findings.

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Resumo: Nas últimas décadas a transição nutricional vem ocorrendo em países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento, com uma prevalência maior de indivíduos sobrepesos e obesos. Devido à situação agravante do estado nutricional da população infantil brasileira, às doenças acarretadas pela má alimentação e sedentarismo, além da construção do hábito alimentar ser realizado nessa fase de desenvolvimento e este adotado para a vida adulta do indivíduo, podese notar a necessidade de educar essas crianças, em relação à nutrição. A creche é o local considerado apropriado para o ensino dessa população e, segundo as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para Educação Infantil, a alimentação deveria estar inserida em todos os projetos político-pedagógicos, na área da Educação em Saúde, mas ainda existe um erro na concepção dos significados de cuidar e educar nessas instituições, principalmente entre a faixa etária de 0 a 3 anos. Contudo, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi identificar os conhecimentos e as práticas, relacionados à alimentação de crianças de 0 a 3 anos a fim de verificar a formação dos profissionais que trabalham com crianças dessa faixa etária, na área da Educação Nutricional. Para isso, o procedimento metodológico seguiu as orientações do estudo de caso, com abordagem qualitativa, que englobou a fase exploratória, a observação, a entrevista semiestruturada e a análise, visando a caracterização das participantes da pesquisa, do local onde foi realizado o estudo e das crianças da faixa etária estudada. Os saberes e práticas das agentes educacionais e professoras de Ensino Infantil do Centro de Educação e Recreação, em estudo, foram analisados por meio de questões abertas e fechadas e das observações dos tópicos relacionados à nutrição infantil, juntamente com os dados sobre a formação dessas profissionais... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In the last decades, nutritional transition has been occurring in developed and in-progress countries, focusing overweight and obese people. The necessity of providing children nutritional education/knowledge has increased due to the aggravating nutrition situation of the Brazilian infantile population, diseases caused by bad eating habits and lack of physical exercises, yonder the acquirement of eating habits that will be lifetime followed. Day care centers are the appropriate places for teaching this population, and according to National Curricular Guide for Infantile, nourishment should be inserted in all political-pedagogic projects in the Health Education field, but these institutions still misunderstand the meaning of caring and educating, specially among children from 0 to 3 years old. Yet, the aim of this current work was to identify the knowledge and practices that people have regarding 0 to 3 year-old children in order to add information to professionals who work with this age group children in the Nutrition Education field. Thus, the methodological procedure followed the guidance of the studied case using a qualitative approaching that comprised the exploiting stage, the examination, the semi-structured interview and the analysis aiming the characterization of the interview participants, the place where the study was carried out and the age group of the children studied. The educational agents and teachers of infantile education from the Recreation and Education Center studied were analyzed through questions, and examinations of topics related to infantile nutrition along with data about the degree of these professionals. It can be concluded that both educational agents and Infantile Education teachers have a significant knowledge about infantile nutrition. However their biggest concern was to supply the children's nutritional necessities through a healthy meal... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Rodolfo Telarolli Junior / Coorientador: Maria Iolanda Monteiro / Banca: Maria Rita Marques de Oliveira / Banca: Marilda da Silva / Mestre

This evaluation of the Multnomah County Community Action Agency (MCCAA) Latch Key Child Care Program was undertaken at the request of the Multnomah County Planning and Evaluation Department. Latch Key is one of three day care programs classified as "developmental programs for youth" for which Multnomah County is the fiscal agent. The other two are Littles, a full-day pre-school day care program, and Head Start, an educational and developmental program for pre-school children. Littles and Latch Key comprise what is known as Programs for Children, a comprehensive child care program which serves children of low-income working parents who live in the East County area east of 82nd Avenue, plus the Arleta, Errol Heights and Lents Districts which lie within the Portland city limits. With the exception of Mt. Hood Community College, which operates a small day care program, Programs for Children provides the only publicly-supported child care services in the above area, which was designated as a "poverty" area by the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1970. This report will evaluate the Programs for Children administration and Latch Key centers only.

The United States did not have a federal policy on child care until 1990 when portions of two bills (H.R.3 and S.7) were incorporated in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. The lack of a policy was not due to neglect; child care advocates made several attempts during the 1970s to pass legislation. In an effort to understand why child care succeeded in 1990, this thesis examines how child care got on the decision agenda, the "short list" of the government agenda. Using John Kingdon's framework (1984) I analyze the process by which child care legislation was able to make the successful transition from the committee forum to the floors of Congress for a vote, and thus becoming a part of the decision agenda. / Master of Arts

The study was carried out to investigate the implementation of the Malawian ECD policy in CBCCC in Namatubi Kanyenjere area. Both primary and secondary techniques were used to carry out the research. Literature review was carried out to ascertain the evolvement of ECD over the years and establish the basis of the current policy. Interviews were carried out with three respondent groups namely CBCCC committees, care givers and government officials. This was done to assess perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of the ECD policy among communities as well as the roles played by different stakeholders in the policy implementation. Over 90% of the CBCCC in Chitipa were initiated by communities and duly registered by the government. However there is little monitoring thereof by the government officials which dwindles the activities of the centres. Communities, stakeholders and government face various challenges that require concerted efforts to help improve the implementation of the ECD policy. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)