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This study evaluates a professional development (PD) initiative that used an innovative quality improvement methodology, the Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC), in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in the United States. We examined: (1) the extent to which programs engaged with the activities of the initiative, (2) whether the hypothesized mechanisms by which the initiative’s methodology achieves improved outcomes were activated, and (3) whether initial improvements in evidence-based practices and organizational functioning were reported in ECEC settings participating in the PD initiative. A mixed-methods case study design followed seven centers participating in the initiative in one community over 18 months. Data were collected with 148 staff in participating centers. Findings revealed variation in the degree of participation in the initiative’s activities among participating teams, with two centers categorized as having “robust” participation and five “moderate” participation. There was initial evidence that some dimensions of the hypothesized mechanisms for change—inter-organizational learning and an inquiry mindset—were activated within centers. As for improvements in short-term outcomes, teachers’ sense of efficacy increased over time, and participants reported structural changes to organizational functions (such as staff meetings and protected staff time) that removed barriers and allowed educators the time and space to take initiative for quality improvement activities. Finally, participants attributed positive changes in organizational climate and culture (like support for distributed leadership within the center) to the BSC process. In sum, the findings of this study suggest that the BSC is a promising PD strategy for use with center-based ECEC settings. One implication of the findings is that policies and practices should intentionally address known barriers to participation in quality improvement efforts. Further studies with larger samples are needed to determine the effectiveness of the BSC methodology within various ECEC setting types and ECEC systems.

To examine whether women whose partners are involved in their pregnancy are more likely to receive early prenatal care and reduce cigarette consumption over the course of the pregnancy. This study also examines sociodemographic predictors of father involvement during pregnancy. Data on 5,404 women and their partners from the first wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) were used to examine the association between father involvement during pregnancy and maternal behaviors during pregnancy. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used and data were weighted to account for the complex survey design of the ECLS-B. Women whose partners were involved in their pregnancy were 1.5 times more likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester and, among those who smoked at conception, to reduce their cigarette consumption 36% more than women whose partners were not involved in the pregnancy (p = .09). Fathers with less than a high school education were significantly less likely to be involved in their partner's pregnancy, while first-time fathers and fathers who reported wanting the pregnancy were significantly more likely to be involved. The positive benefits of father involvement often reported in the literature on child health and development can be extended into the prenatal period. Father involvement is an important, but understudied, predictor of maternal behaviors during the prenatal period, and improving father involvement may have important consequences for the health of his partner, her pregnancy, and their child.

Children (ages 4–8, N = 122) predicted who a hypothetical peer would choose as a partner in various situations. Social partner choices were between (a) same-sex and opposite-sex peers, (b) friends and new peers, and (c) same-sex new peers and opposite-sex friends. Children, especially girls and younger children, favored same-gender over friendship status as a criterion for social partner choices. Children's predictions and explanations showed systematic patterns, but gender explanations were relatively rare. Consistency patterns across conditions suggest that when gender and friendship information are in conflict, children rely more on friendship status than gender in their reasoning processes. Gender appears prominent in social reasoning throughout the early elementary school years, but friendship status moderates gender influence in certain situations.

Objectives: To use recent, national data to examine correlates of smoking before, during, and after pregnancy; quitting smoking during pregnancy; and relapsing by 24 months postpartum.Methods: Multivariate logistic regression models used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort and accounted for relevant socio-demographic, clinical, and contextual covariates.Results: Although socio-demographic characteristics including education, income, race/ethnicity, and marital status were associated with smoking at all time points, contextual factors including alcohol consumption, breast-feeding, and living with other smokers were also strongly associated with smoking, quitting, and relapsing.Conclusions: Results of this study may facilitate the creation of more targeted interventions focusing on women at highest risk for smoking during this critical period.

To use recent, national data to examine correlates of smoking before, during, and after pregnancy; quitting smoking during pregnancy; and relapsing by 24 months postpartum.OBJECTIVESTo use recent, national data to examine correlates of smoking before, during, and after pregnancy; quitting smoking during pregnancy; and relapsing by 24 months postpartum.Multivariate logistic regression models used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort and accounted for relevant socio-demographic, clinical, and contextual covariates.METHODSMultivariate logistic regression models used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort and accounted for relevant socio-demographic, clinical, and contextual covariates.Although socio-demographic characteristics including education, income, race/ethnicity, and marital status were associated with smoking at all time points, contextual factors including alcohol consumption, breast-feeding, and living with other smokers were also strongly associated with smoking, quitting, and relapsing.RESULTSAlthough socio-demographic characteristics including education, income, race/ethnicity, and marital status were associated with smoking at all time points, contextual factors including alcohol consumption, breast-feeding, and living with other smokers were also strongly associated with smoking, quitting, and relapsing.Results of this study may facilitate the creation of more targeted interventions focusing on women at highest risk for smoking during this critical period.CONCLUSIONSResults of this study may facilitate the creation of more targeted interventions focusing on women at highest risk for smoking during this critical period.

Psychologists identify emotions as the essential \"building blocks\" of well-being (Kahneman, Diener, & Schwarz, 1999). This chapter examines the theoretical and empirical basis for this claim. First, it discusses the operational definitions of emotions and the theoretical perspectives that underlie these definitions, along with the measurement techniques that are associated with these perspectives. Second, it traces the processes associated with emotional development from infancy through adolescence. Next, it reviews the evidence for emotions being essential elements of positive development, both as contributors to and measures of well-being. The chapter also addresses the factors that may affect the promotion of positive emotions, emotion understanding, and emotion regulation during childhood and adolescence. Finally, it suggests directions for future research.

This study examined preschoolers' use of gender and familiarity information in reasoning about social interactions. Eighty-one children (37 4-year-olds, 44 kindergartners) predicted who a hypothetical child would choose as a partner in several social situations. Children made forced choices between two social partners: a same-sex vs. opposite-sex peer (gender condition), a friend vs. a new person in class (familiarity condition), and a same-sex new person vs. an opposite-sex friend (mixed condition). Forty undergraduates (20 male, 20 female) performed the same task. Sixty-six parents of the children answered a questionnaire about their child's behavior. Results indicate that children are remarkably consistent in their choices in all test conditions. When both gender and familiarity are relevant social cues, familiarity is the more powerful predictor of and explanation for children's social interactions. Most children predicted same-sex partner choices in the gender condition, but gender was rarely an explanation for such a choice. Children were consistent in choosing either the friend or the new person in the familiarity and mixed conditions. Children who were consistent in their choice of a friend or a new person were more likely than others to justify their choice by mentioning the notions of friendship or newness appropriately. Girls and kindergartners were more likely than boys and 4-year-olds (respectively) to justify their choices appropriately by referring to gender and familiarity. Children, especially girls, with close same-sex friends and siblings were more likely than others to choose a same-sex partner in the test conditions. Adults, like children, consistently predicted interactions between same-sex peers. However, both adult undergraduates and parents were more likely than children to predict that children would prefer a friend over a new person as a social partner. Information provided by parents on children's sociability and social behavior was not related to children's predictions of peers' social interactions. These findings suggest that adults hold notions about the importance of familiarity that may not match children's beliefs. In sum, results suggest preschoolers are competent in using interpersonal factors in reasoning about their social world; furthermore girls may be more attuned to interpersonal factors at an earlier age than boys.

Family policies should look beyond the monetary contributions that fathers should make and help support fathers' full involvement in their children's lives. Fostering positive father-child relationships may contribute to greater financial support as well.