Development and results of a new methodology to perform focus group with preschool children on their beliefs and attitudes on physical activity
The aim of this study is to develop and test a method to perform focus groups (FGs) and to elicit the subjective views of preschool-age children on physical activity and perceived kindergarten barriers to practice it. FGs have been held in three different kindergarten classes with 49 children who were 4-5 years old. Children were asked to draw themselves in their preferred way of playing and were asked few questions about their drawings to understand their behaviours and ideas. In class A and B, 67% and 75% of the children, respectively, drew sedentary plays (table and impersonation games). Children referred that the main obstacle to perform active games outside home/kindergarten was the parents' and teachers' perceived risk that they could be hurt or catch a cold. The children would like to have more table games in the kindergarten. 81% of children in class C drew active group games. All these children were well satisfied with their kindergarten environment and did not refer to any adults' fear regarding active play. This class teacher spent a lot of time to develop children's motor abilities through active games and often used the garden to let the children to play freely. The use of drawings to understand children's habits on physical activity has turned out to be a reliable and easy tool in preschool children. The different results obtained in the two children groups show the need to change the beliefs and the behaviours of teachers and parents who seem to be non-architectural "invisible" barriers to be knocked down. This protocol has been developed by ASL Brindisi within the framework of PERISCOPE's objective to develop new methodologies. (author abstract)
Reports & Papers
Trends in child care licensing: 2011
An examination of state child care licensing requirements and policies, including those related to monitoring and enforcement, ratios and group size, staff qualifications, parent communication, health and nutrition, emergency preparedness, and inclusion
Other
Ready or not?: Assessing kindergarten readiness in Central Texas: Executive summary
A summary of a study of the school readiness of Central Texas kindergarteners in four competency domains and of the relationship of school readiness to children's economic status and prekindergarten attendance, based on teacher assessments for a representative sample of 913 children
Executive Summary
Ready or not?: Assessing kindergarten readiness in Central Texas
A study of the school readiness of Central Texas kindergarteners in four competency domains and of the relationship of school readiness to children's economic status and prekindergarten attendance, based on teacher assessments for a representative sample of 913 children
Reports & Papers
Policies to promote on physical activity and healthy eating in kindergartens from theory to practice
Accumulating evidence shows that there seems to be a relation between the existence of a policy and at least some health behaviours of children. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief account of the value of policy as a tool that can be used at local level to guide action to promote healthy lifestyle in kindergartens. A policy can be defined as a set of adopted principles that guide the work of an organization and aim to achieve a well defined goal, but only policies that rely on the active participation and involvement of concerned actors will be efficient. A number of studies suggest that local level policy on nutrition and on physical activity seems to have the potential to work as a good frame for the organizational efforts that the kindergarten undertakes in order to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children in kindergarten. However, kindergartens need to make the policy tool an active vehicle for an improvement of children's lifestyle behaviour and thus a dynamic instrument. (author abstract)
Other
"The moving body": A sustainable project to improve children's physical activity at kindergarten
Physical activity promotes children's awareness of the body. Children, to experience and to learn, need to be physically active and their innate physical activity is playing. Playing together means building relationships with peers, means learning how to use tools and space, means addressing egocentric behaviour toward rules' respect; in summary, it means learning "social conviviality and respect". The aim of the project "The moving body" was to favour children's physical and cognitive development and their social relationships. Gross motor physical abilities were assessed in 270 children attending the kindergarten. The children were grouped according their level of motor abilities to promote learning through older children's imitation. Structured games and playing were alternated to free time, and words such as physical activity, movement, and so on, were never used. Every month the children were asked to draw their own body to assess their body shape perception and their ability in representing it. All the children improved their physical abilities as compared to the beginning of the project; they strengthened their creativity and fantasy, inventing new and imaginative games, became more confident in their own capacities, and they learned how to deal and overcome, with a greater autonomy, difficult tasks. The body shape perception, and its representation as drawing, showed, especially among children 3 years old, remarkable progress. The importance of physical activity and play in kindergarten activities was evidenced through the significant improvement of children's several specific motor and psychosocial competences. (author abstract)
Reports & Papers
Disparities in child care availability across communities: Differential reflection of targeted interventions and local demand
A study of trends from 1990 through 2009 in the size and characteristics of the child care workforce and in variations in child care availability across communities, based on data from the 1990 Decennial Census, the 2000 Decennial Census, and the 2009 American Community Survey
Reports & Papers
Relationship of objective measurement of physical activity during school hours and BMI in preschool children
The measurement of the physical activity (PA) since early ages is a key factor in lifestyle evaluation. The aims of this study were to describe objective levels of PA and to determine the association of body mass index status (BMI) with PA patterns in preschool children. Weight and height were measured in 59 healthy pre-school children. The children used the accelerometer for 4 consecutive days during school hours. The prevalence of OW+OB was 30.5%. The 82.31% of the time spent at kindergarten was allocated to sedentary tasks. The 5 years-old boys were significantly more engaged in TPA and MVPA and less in SB than girls. No statistically significant associations were found between OW/OB and PA patterns. Most of the time spent at school is related to SB, which is central to childhood obesity risk. Early interventions to increase PA in preschool children are needed. (author abstract)
Reports & Papers
Views of parents, teachers and children on health promotion in kindergarten-first results from formative focus groups and observations
The aim of the study was to capture the views of children, parents and teachers on the topic of physical activity in kindergarten through observation and focus group interviews. The study was conducted in the kindergartens from the sampling group in the Danish part of PERISCOPE. 1st methodology: Children interviewed inside by the researcher on preferable movements and settings and then observed outside during their playtime. 2nd methodology: Children asked to draw themselves playing their most preferred physical activity. Parents and kindergarten teachers interviewed in two different groups, using an identical guide. Children are skilled in taking advantage of the space and facilities available for physical activity; girls need more support than boys to initiate physical activity; children are happy with the facilities and the toys available in the kindergarten. Teachers feel an increasing pressure to take more responsibility and initiatives for the children's health habits. Parents state that if more physical activity is initiated in the kindergarten, it could make children request domestic activity. Physical activity and movement concept are too abstract for children of this age to talk about: they quickly lose their focus and concentration. The new methodology of videotaping gives the researcher the chance to interpret facial expressions to capture movement, talk and actions, and to make a distinction among children, as they tend to interrupt each other. However, this method contains a weakness, if used alone, by the fact that the shooting is only a reflection of what the video camera has recorded. (author abstract)
Reports & Papers
Report on children's profile at school entry 2008-2011: Evaluation of the 'Preparing for Life' early childhood intervention programme [Executive summary]
A summary of an examination of the school readiness skills of children who live in the catchment area of Preparing for Life, a birth to age 5 integrated services intervention in disadvantaged areas of Ireland, based on teacher and parent questionnaires for 3 cohorts of children
Executive Summary
Report on children's profile at school entry 2008-2011: Evaluation of the 'Preparing for Life' early childhood intervention programme
An examination of the school readiness skills of children who live in the catchment area of Preparing for Life, a birth to age 5 integrated services intervention in disadvantaged areas of Ireland, based on teacher and parent questionnaires for 3 cohorts of children
Reports & Papers
Steps to Excellence Project: Pilot process evaluation [Executive summary]
A summary of an implementation evaluation of the Steps to Excellence Project (STEP), Los Angeles County's child care quality rating and improvement system, that examines participating providers' experiences of STEP, based on provider surveys, key informant group discussions, and analysis of administrative data
Executive Summary
Steps to Excellence Project: Pilot process evaluation
An implementation evaluation of the Steps to Excellence Project (STEP), Los Angeles County's child care quality rating and improvement system, that examines participating providers' experiences of STEP, based on provider surveys, key informant group discussions, and analysis of administrative data
Reports & Papers
Family proximity, childcare, and women's labor force attachment
We show that close geographical proximity to mothers or mothers-in-law has a substantial positive effect on the labor supply of married women with young children. We argue that the mechanism through which proximity increases labor supply is the availability of childcare. We interpret availability broadly enough to include not only regular scheduled childcare during work hours but also an insurance aspect of proximity (e.g., a mother or mother-in-law who can provide irregular or unanticipated childcare). Using two large datasets, the National Survey of Families and Households and the public use files of the U.S. Census, we find that the predicted probability of employment and labor force participation is 4-10 percentage points higher for married women with young children living in close proximity to their mothers or their mothers-in-law compared with those living further away. (author abstract)
Reports & Papers
Evaluating effects of full-day Head Start model on academic performance at the end of grade 1 [Executive summary]
A summary of a study of the relationship of participation in full-day Head Start in Montgomery County, Maryland, to first grade reading and math performance, based on a comparison of assessment data from children who participated in full-day Head Start, part-day Head Start, part-day public prekindergarten, or children who did not attend a publicly-funded early childhood program
Executive Summary
Evaluating effects of full-day Head Start model on academic performance at the end of grade 1
A study of the relationship of participation in full-day Head Start in Montgomery County, Maryland, to first grade reading and math performance, based on a comparison of assessment data from children who participated in full-day Head Start, part-day Head Start, part-day public prekindergarten, or children who did not attend a publicly-funded early childhood program
Reports & Papers
Evaluation of The Electric Company Summer Learning Program: Highlights of the findings
A summary of a study of the implementation of The Electric Company Summer Learning Program, a transmedia curriculum for summer programs with a focus on math and literacy skills, and of the relationship of participation in the program to teaching outcomes and to children's math and literacy outcomes, based on surveys from and interviews with 152 6- to 8-year-old children and 16 teachers at 12 summer programs
Fact Sheets & Briefs
Executive summary: Investments in early care and education in Nevada
A summary of an analysis of the economic role of the early care and education industry in Nevada, in terms of individuals employed and spending on services, as well as its role in supporting other industries, parental labor force participation, and child development
Executive Summary
Investments in early care and education in Nevada
An analysis of the economic role of the early care and education industry in Nevada, in terms of individuals employed and spending on services, as well as its role in supporting other industries, parental labor force participation, and child development
Reports & Papers
