This reference offers a comprehensive overview of public policies and programs related to child care in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania, Europe, and North America. Individual chapters profile policies and programs in 29 countries. Each chapter contains a description of existing policies and programs, presented against a particular historical, cultural, and ideological backdrop. The chapters are arranged in alphabetical order to facilitate use as a reference, and each includes a list of works for further reading. The volume begins with an introductory essay that overviews recent trends and developments around the world. The chapters that follow discuss the background and history of child care, demographic characteristics of the country profiled, the socioeconomic context of child care, and the extent and nature of government intervention. A final chapter synthesizes the information presented and makes crossnational comparisons of policies and programs. Appendices provide demographic data and describe maternity and parental leave policies. A general bibliography concludes the work, making it a useful and current reference tool.

Early childhood development research offers solutions to several of the world's social and economic problems - solutions that can break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, improve the health, education, and wellbeing of the global population, and yield high rates of return on investment in the formative years of life. And yet over one-third of children worldwide under five years of age still fail to achieve their full developmental potential due to malnutrition, poverty, disease, neglect, and lack of learning opportunities. Handbook of Early Childhood Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy calls for placing early childhood development at the top of the global policy agenda, enabling children to achieve their full developmental potential and to contribute to equitable economic and social progress worldwide. The volume presents evidence-based programs and policies for advancing the positive development of young children across the globe, focusing on developing countries. An international ensemble of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners present evidence from multiple disciplinary, sectorial, and analytical perspectives, emphasizing the importance of scientific findings in promoting child development and addressing programmatic challenges to quality, sustainability, measurement, finance, and capacity. Sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), the premier international association of developmental scientists, and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), a leading organization for promoting children's wellbeing worldwide, this Handbook will be invaluable to policy advocates, program managers of national governments, international NGOs, and development agencies, as well as to scholars and students in the areas of child development and global policy.

The essential resource to the issues surrounding childhood care and education with contributions from noted experts The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education is a comprehensive resource that offers a review of the historical aspects, best practices, and the future directions of the field. With contributions from noted experts in the field, the book contains 30 interdisciplinary essays that explore in-depth the central issues of early childhood care and education. The handbook presents a benchmark reference to the basic knowledge, effective approaches to use with young children, curriculum design, professional development, current policies, and other critical information. The expert contributors address the myriad complex policy and practice issues that are most relevant today. The essays provide insight into topics such as child development and diversity, the sociocultural process of child development, the importance of the home environment in the lives of young children, early childhood special education, teaching and learning literacy, and much more. This important resource: Presents a comprehensive synopsis of the major components of the field of early childhood care and education Contains contributions from leading scholars, researchers, and experts in the field Offers the foundational knowledge and practices for working with young children Puts the focus on how early childhood works and presents an understanding of culture as a foundational component of both child development and early childhood education Written for academic scholars, researchers, advocates, policymakers, and students of early childhood care and education, The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education is a comprehensive resource to the major issues for dealing with childhood care and education with contributions from noted scholars in the field.

A unique two-volume examination of the progress women have made in achieving political equality, Women and Politics around the World addresses both transnational and gender-related issues as well as specific conditions in more than 20 countries. Women and Politics around the World: A Comparative History and Survey is an exploration of the role of women in political systems worldwide, as well as an examination of how government actions in various countries have an impact on the lives of the female population. Women and Politics around the World divides its coverage into two volumes. The first looks at such crucial issues facing women today as health policy, civil rights, and education, comparing conditions around the world. The second volume profiles 22 different countries, representing a broad range of governments, economies, and cultures. Each profile looks at the history and current state of women's political and economic participation in a particular country, and includes an in-depth look at a representative policy. The result is a resource unlike any other—one that gives students, researchers, and other interested readers a fresh new way of investigating a truly global issue.

Assembling key experts and activists in the area of Canadian child care policy, this book makes an important contribution to understanding how Canada, with its particular institutions, politics, and values, should design a national child care strategy.

Eighteen new chapters have been added to the 2000 edition of this valuable Handbook, which serves as a core text for students and experienced professionals who are interested in the health and well being of young children. It serves as a comprehensive reference for graduate students, advanced trainees, service providers, and policy makers in such diverse fields as child care, early childhood education, child health, and early intervention programs for children with developmental disabilities and children in high risk environments. This book will be of interest to a broad range of disciplines including psychology, child development, early childhood education, social work, pediatrics, nursing, child psychiatry, physical and occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and social policy. A scholarly overview of the underlying knowledge base and practice of early childhood intervention, it is unique in its balance between breadth and depth and its integration of the multiple dimensions of the field.

Eighteen new chapters have been added to the 2000 edition of this valuable Handbook, which serves as a core text for students and experienced professionals who are interested in the health and well being of young children. It serves as a comprehensive reference for graduate students, advanced trainees, service providers, and policy makers in such diverse fields as child care, early childhood education, child health, and early intervention programs for children with developmental disabilities and children in high risk environments. This book will be of interest to a broad range of disciplines including psychology, child development, early childhood education, social work, pediatrics, nursing, child psychiatry, physical and occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and social policy. A scholarly overview of the underlying knowledge base and practice of early childhood intervention, it is unique in its balance between breadth and depth and its integration of the multiple dimensions of the field.

Hardbound. This book provides an overview of early child development efforts worldwide as well as research and policy recommendations for enhancing and enlarging these efforts. It answers the question: Why invest in early child development? And describes the benefits, options, and rationale for supporting comprehensive programs of nutrition, health, and education for children around the world and especially in low-income and poor areas of all countries.The contributing authors present programming strategies for accomplishing positive, synergistic improvements in nutrition, health, and cognitive development of young children living in poverty. They also address the economic and policy implications of these interventions.This clear research overview will be of interest to policymakers, program administrators, researchers, academics as well as field practitioners working in education, health, and/or nutrition programs targeted to children, families an

Drawing on the policy experience and trends in OECD countries, this book covers growth in participation in formal education to meet lifelong learning needs; policy options to secure the benefits of early childhood education; the uses of ICT in education; and participation from the underrepresented.

This up-to-date and comprehensive resource by leaders in child welfare is the first book to reflect the impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997. The text serves as a single-source reference for a wide array of professionals who work in children, youth, and family services in the United States-policymakers, social workers, psychologists, educators, attorneys, guardians ad litem, and family court judges& mdash;and as a text for students of child welfare practice and policy. Features include: * Organized around ASFA's guiding principles of well-being, safety, and permanency * Focus on evidence-based "best practices" * Case examples integrated throughout * First book to include data from the first round of National Child and Family Service Reviews Topics discussed include the latest on prevention of child abuse and neglect and child protective services; risk and resilience in child development; engaging families; connecting families with public and community resources; health and mental health care needs of children and adolescents; domestic violence; substance abuse in the family; family preservation services; family support services and the integration of family-centered practices in child welfare; gay and lesbian adolescents and their families; children with disabilities; and runaway and homeless youth. The contributors also explore issues pertaining to foster care and adoption, including a focus on permanency planning for children and youth and the need to provide services that are individualized and culturally and spiritually responsive to clients. A review of salient systemic issues in the field of children, youth, and family services completes this collection.