ED421211 PS026624
Title: Which Counts More for Excellence in Childcare Staff: Years
in Service, Education Level or ECE Coursework?
Author(s): Honig, Alice Sterling; Hirallal, Andrea
Pages: 39
Publication Date: June 1998
Notes: Paper presented at the Annual Quality Infant/Toddler Caregiving
Workshop (22nd, Syracuse, NY, June 15-19, 1998).
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC02 Plus Postage.
Language: English
Document Type: Reports--Research (143); Speeches/meeting papers (150)
Geographic Source: U.S.; New York
Journal Announcement: RIEDEC1998
A sample of
81 caregivers in 24 urban centers was observed in interactions with
preschool children ages 3 to 5. Observation centered on the domains
of positive and negative socioemotional inputs, language facilitation,
concept promotion, and caregiving and cleaning up (of children and
of environment). The teachers provided responses to questions about
their number of years of formal schooling, years in child care,
years at the same center, own parenting status, and how many ECE/CD
(early childhood education and child development) courses and workshops
they had ever taken. Hierarchical stepwise regressions and ANOVAs
showed the importance of ECE/CD training. When all positive teacher
interactions tallied in the classroom were combined, ECE/CD training
accounted for over 62 percent of the variance in teacher inputs.
Results suggested that when interviewing candidates for child care
positions, directors need to verify a candidate's prior ECE/CD training,
along with providing supports for staff to obtain ongoing ECE/CD
coursework to ensure high quality child care. (Contains 32 references.)
(Author/EV)
Descriptors: *Caregiver Child Relationship; *Child Caregivers; Day
Care; Day Care Centers; Early Childhood Education; Interaction;
*Teacher Background; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Student Relationship;
*Teaching Experience; *Training
Identifiers: *Caregiver Qualifications; Caregiver Training; *Day
Care Quality
