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A 3-year needs assessment study examined nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and food practices. Subjects were 135 preschool children ages 3-5 years, 610 parents, 118 day care teachers and providers, 35 food service personnel, and 76 administrators throughout Texas. Registered family day care homes, group day care homes, and day care centers from 11 regions were represented in the sample. Data included on-site physical fitness and health assessment, plate waste, food service practice observation, and mailed questionnaires. Major findings include the following: (1) older children were more likely than younger children to achieve the 70 percent acceptable nutrition knowledge level; (2) there were significant ethnic differences in children's nutrition knowledge; (3) children's food choices were affected by family income; (4) between 7-11 percent of the children were obese but 95 percent had average to excellent dental condition; (5) parents' knowledge and food choices were below the 70 percent acceptability level when children were assumed present and absent, whereas teachers and providers made more desirable food choices when children were assumed present but not when they were assumed absent; (6) although food service personnel demonstrated acceptable nutrition knowledge and planned nutritionally adequate menus, implemented menus often did not meet Child Care Food Program guidelines, and adequate food safety procedures were often not followed; and (7) administrators demonstrated an overall knowledge mean which met the level of 70 percent acceptability, and their attitudes toward nutrition were positive. Identified education and training needs for each subject group were listed, and a training plan was developed. (Nine appendices contain instruments used in the study. Contains 27 references.) (KDFB)

This report presents federally mandated evaluations and needs assessments conducted by the Texas Nutrition Education and Training (NET) program during Federal Fiscal Year 1994. General program performance of NET reflected an increase in the number of children in Texas and expansion in NET program activities. Needs assessment data collected from 443 public schools and 41 private schools indicated that nutrition knowledge was, in general, below 70 percent acceptable levels for all populations, and food choices and nutrition practices needed improvement. NET's outreach to food service managers and administrators, teachers, and day care providers is achieved through: workshops developed by NET and delivered by contract trainers; circulation of a NET library collection; development and distribution of instructional and promotional materials on nutrition and food service management; presentations, exhibits, and publications on nutrition education, food service management, and program evaluation; and coordination with related publicly supported programs within Texas. Activities in each of these areas are reported, along with recommendations. An appendix contains evaluation instruments used in NET program outreach. (JDD)

Designed to celebrate the achievements and successful activities of professionals and community leaders throughout Texas, this yearbook describes 60 innovative programs that have confronted difficult issues, explored solutions, and taken risks to help families in Texas. The first section of the yearbook presents the Best of Texas Awards in six categories (legislative leadership, funding for construction and program development, municipal leadership, coalition building, and loan fund development) for activities that have long-term impact on services to children. The second through fourth sections provide descriptions of programs that impact children, families, and child care professionals. Programs described in section 2 address topics of: (1) child care; (2) homelessness; (3) latchkey children; (4) child abuse prevention; (5) special education; and (6) culturally appropriate curriculum. Programs profiled in section 3 consider parenting education, preventive health care, and family support systems; while those highlighted in section 4 address topics of child care staffing, teacher training, and employer initiatives in child care. For each program there is a program description, a highlights summary, and a section on barriers to implementation, as well as a list of funding sources. (MM)

A survey of work and family policies in state-supported organizations in Texas was conducted for the Texas Workforce Commission's Work and Family Clearinghouse. Survey questions addressed the prevalence, perceived need, and future direction of dependent care programs and flexible work arrangements (FWA). Key findings in dependent care include: (1) 30 percent of respondents report some form of dependent care program outside of those regularly provided to all state employees; (2) eleven percent offer on-site child care; (3) 17 percent provide resource and/or referral service for child care services; and (4) commonly cited barriers to the promotion and expansion of dependent care programs included resource limitations and questions centering on the legislative authority of state-supported organizations to provide these services to employees. Key findings in FWA arrangements include: (1) more than 80 percent of respondents offer some FWA with flex-time most commonly available; (2) compressed workweeks available in 34 percent of organizations; (3) telecommuting available in 25 percent; and (4) barriers to the promotion and expansion of FWA's are primarily legislative with many respondents citing sections of Article IX which place some restrictions on telecommuting, supervision concerns and small staff size. (SD)

This report examines a basic child care challenge confronting the state of Texas: the shortage of affordable, accessible, quality early care and education for Texas families with children, particularly those with limited incomes. The report notes that these three factors--affordability, accessibility, and good quality--are integral to a successful child care program, and that Texas families with low and moderate incomes continue to face unmet child care needs. Following a brief introduction, section one of the report addresses the demand for child care in Texas including issues of affordability, accessibility, and quality. The second section addresses the supply side of child care in Texas. In terms of accessibility, the kinds of child care available are described and include: (1) Head Start; (2) Pre-kindergartens; (3) Kindergartens; (4) Licensed Child Care Centers (LCC); (5) Group Day Homes (GDH); (6) Registered Family Homes (RFH); and (7) School-Age Child Care (SACC). In terms of affordability, this section describes Child Care Management Services (CCMS). Quality of available child care is also addressed. The final sections of the report offer summary conclusions on the state of Texas child care in such areas as: (1) lack of coordination between early childhood education services; (2) inadequate supply; (3) various levels of quality; and (4) little consideration to appropriateness of services. Contains 100 references. (Author/SD)

With increasing numbers of parents at work or in training and education programs when children get out of school, the existence and quality of school-age child care (SACC) affects not only families, but the community as a whole. Texas school district involvement with SACC was examined, and qualities of model programs and barriers to developing SACC programs were ascertained. In 1995, over 80 percent of superintendents or designated representatives from 1,046 public school districts responded to a survey examining the availability and components of school district-assisted SACC programs. Barriers to implementing SACC were also explored. Findings indicated that larger districts were more likely than smaller ones to have SACC programs. The greatest challenges to providing SACC were funding, transportation, overburdened teachers, and administrators. Most programs were housed in elementary schools, and 85 percent shared space with other activities. About half the districts participated in program development, although non-profit agencies were primarily responsible for SACC program development. The most commonly offered activities were indoor time, outdoor time, homework help, structured activities, activity centers, small group activities, and sports/physical activities. Problems associated with district-assisted SACC programs were the wear on the facility, costs to parents, and difficulty in gaining access to school facilities. Interviews with experts revealed that although they considered most Texas SACC programs to be "adequate," the programs did not meet the standards for a model program. Issues raised by experts included funding and affordable care, educating parents, rural area needs, middle school children's needs, hours of operation, space availability, school responsibility, and outside agency SACC management. (Author/KB)

Discusses results of an informal survey conducted in 17 child-care facilities in the Nacogdoches area of east Texas. The survey focused on parents' needs and concerns about child care. Results revealed what parents want in caregivers, which experiences are best, which services are valued most, what parents would change, what concerns parents most, and that parents feel stressed. (TJQ)

Visited a random sample of 2,813 regulated family day-care homes (RFHs) in Texas. The RFHs were examined for compliance with minimum state standards and rated on 21 specific quality aspects. Found that the quality of care at the RFHs was significantly and consistently related to compliance with 116 standards. (MDM)

This report of an 18-month planning study presents recommendations concerning the development and promotion of improved child care services for Texas children with and without disabilities. A mail survey of child care centers (588 programs surveyed) and a telephone survey of 495 family day care providers found a need for on-site training and technical assistance, funds for start-up costs, staff training workshops, and additional payment for specific children. Barriers to improvements included additional staff time required and inadequate training to care for children with disabilities. Five recommendations are presented: (1) a statewide training and technical assistance resource program for child care providers should be developed; (2) a comprehensive generic information and referral system which includes child care options should be developed; (3) access to child care should be improved by helping providers to finance start-up costs and comply with federal requirements; (4) this report should be disseminated to interested groups; and (5) planning efforts should continue on providing child care for children with severe disabilities. Individual chapters address the project background and historical perspective, project methodology, findings and conclusions, and recommendations. Appendices include term definitions, a listing of critical elements for child care policy development, and the survey instruments. (54 references) (DB)

Cultural factors in child rearing and child care center practices which may influence training for child care personnel in Texas were surveyed to: (1) identify Anglo, Black, and Chicano child rearing practices, (2) identify child care center practices, (3) compare regional practices in relation to culture, and (4) identify the relation of cultural factors to vocational training for child care personnel. Questionnaires were administered to representative samples of parents, child care practitioners, and professionals in six geographic regions of Texas. A computer program was used to examine relationships and determine significances. Responses are presented in narrative and tabular form. Discussion is organized around response data on family relationships, discipline, feeding-eating practices, sleeping behaviors, toilet-training, verbal interactions, child care center attributes, and parent-center relationships. It was concluded that there are few major cultural differences in Anglo, Black, and Chicano child-rearing practices and child care center practices, and that cultural factors may not be as important to vocational training of child care personnel as had been thought. The instruments used in the study are appended. (MF)

This report describes a group of demonstration projects for the provision of early childhood development services in 14 Texas communities (mostly rural) and evaluates their activities from a cost-benefit perspective. The 3-year state-funded program was designed to determine how well such projects could generate additional non-state funds from existing resources. Projects providing comprehensive day care services (including child care, health care, parent education and social services) involved approximately 1,670 children, and programs specializing in health services reached more than 1,800 children. Detailed descriptions of individual projects are presented in the appendix. The cost-benefit analysis was based on two major sources: (1) expenditure figures from each project for a typical quarterly operational period; and (2) a random sample of 20 percent of the parents in each project to determine income changes for families receiving child day care services through the demonstration projects. Analysis indicated that state dollars expended on day care in the demonstration projects were effective in generating non-state funds for child and family services. Family income of those receiving project day care services increased, with a corresponding decrease in state assistance payments. When state costs for day care were adjusted to benefits accrued, the actual state share appeared to be only 17 percent of total day care costs. Health benefits for children in the demonstration projects were estimated to far outweigh the amount spent on health care. (BF)

This report describes selected characteristics of child care administrators practicing in Texas and attempts to ascertain if these child care administrators have specific training preferences and/or needs. The administrator characteristics addressed were categorized as follows: (1) general demographic information, (2) types of child care facilities represented in the research sample, (3) types of training opportunities which have been available and of which practicing child care administrators have availed themselves, (4) types of training needs perceived by child care administrators, (5) identification of emergent professionalization trends for child care administrators, and (6) specific needs for future administrators. Data were compiled from a survey of 98 child care administrators from the Texas Department of Human Resources (TDHR) Region 05, and from a statewide survey of 135 day care administrators. Findings indicate that: (a) a growing number of child care administrators possess college degrees or at least some college experience which points to a need for multi-level provisions for continuing education; (b) many are interested in taking courses, as indicated by the number of courses related to administration already taken, or by a stated desire to continue in professional training; (c) a growing professionalism exists among child care administrators which is reflected by their concern with standards, improvement of services, and active involvement with professional groups; and (d) the TDHR appears to have played a significant part in the improvement of child care services and in the provisions of training opportunities. Some recommendations and implications for future training of child care administrators are discussed. (MP)

Information is provided on the following aspects of the Child and Parent Services (CAPS) program for the training of infant caregivers: the modules of study in the caregiver kit, the research basis of the kit, and the use of the kit in teaching field experience courses at the university level. The program was designed for (1) child care aides in group settings, (2) day care providers and Texas Department of Human Resources personnel, and (3) university students majoring in child development. The caregiver kit consists of 10 modules of study which focus on the process of observing, planning, and evaluating environments and planning specific activities for each individual infant. Each module includes slides and coordinated audio cassette tapes; a supplementary picture booklet, an activity booklet, lists of developmental objectives and pre- and posttest questionnaires. The training kit has been field tested in day care centers. (SS)

To identify cultural factors in both child rearing and child care practices which may influence training of preschool day care personnel, the study ascertained cultural differences in Anglo, Black, and Chicano child rearing practices in Texas and differences in how parents, center personnel, and early childhood professionals viewed appropriate child care center practices. Questionnaires were administered to 374 Anglo, Black, and Chicano parents, 367 child care practitioners, and 52 professionals in six geographic regions. Day care centers involved were considered by ethnic composition, urban/rural location, nonprofit/commercial status, and family income level. Responses were grouped into family relationships, discipline, feeding-eating practices, sleeping behaviors, toilet-training, verbal interactions, child care center, and parent-center relationships. Results showed overall general agreement among parents and practitioners on child rearing practices and attitudes toward child care centers; few major differences in attitudes, opinions, and practices of parents and practitioners; there were some cultural and regional differences. Though cultural factors may not be as important to personnel training as suspected, data indicated vocational training should encompass cross-cultural elements, bilingual capabilities, and professional teaching competencies. (RS)

Described are eight child care programs for school-aged children in Texas which are thought to be models worth emulating. Five programs are licensed day care centers, one is a registered family day care home, and the remaining two are unlicensed recreation programs. All programs used interest centers to organize materials and activities. While no attempt was made to compare the eight programs, common interest areas included construction, books, arts and crafts, music, quiet games and manipulatives, and dramatic play areas. The handbook uses the same format to describe each program. Information is provided in nine sections, the headings of which are derived from the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs' criteria for accrediting early childhood programs: (1) staff/child interactions; (2) curriculum; (3) staff/parent interactions; (4) staff qualifications and development; (5) administration; (6) physical environment; (7) health and safety; (8) nutrition and food service; and (9) evaluation. Described programs meet many of the criteria, but may not meet them all. Concluding remarks offer tips for program implementation, and provide information about the Corporate Child Development Fund for Texas and United Way of Texas' Child Care Working Group. Checklists and other materials are provided by several of the programs. (RH)

The League of Women Voters of Richardson, Texas, studied child care in their community. The focus of the 3-year study was three-fold: availability, quality, and affordability. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, all licensed child care centers and preschools in the city were visited by trained teams of observers who completed a checklist on each center and asked center directors to complete a survey instrument requesting specific information about their centers. In the second phase, users of child care services were surveyed by telephone concerning their perceptions of child care in Richardson. Findings revealed a disparity between the child care centers and the preschools in the areas of worker training and curriculum. The absence of programs for low-income families underlined a great disparity in access to programs serving children who lived near or below the poverty level. (RH)

Six studies were conducted to detect changes in nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of educators and food service personnel in schools and child care facilities participating in the Texas Nutrition Education and Training Program. The KABINS model was used to identify indicators of program effectiveness, assuming that changes in knowledge lead to changes in attitudes that result in altered behaviors, and ultimately result in improved nutritional status. Results showed that single, four to eight hour workshops were effective in changing participants' knowledge and attitudes but had minimal effects on their nutrition education and menu planning practices. Efforts to publicize availability of the program's lending library collection were successful in doubling its use. Materials distributed through the program were used at rates that matched the program's goals. Two areas were identified as strategic targets for program improvement: intensifying efforts to help child care personnel plan better menus and increasing support for nutrition education in public schools. Extensive appendices include an evaluation of workshops; survey of workshop participants versus nonparticipants; effects of training on day care center menus; reasons for nonparticipation in workshops; use of the lending library collection; and use of training materials. (GDC)

This pilot study of facilities from which the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS) purchased day care services gathered and analyzed data for use in developing day care service control standards by means of which the quality of purchased day care services could be systematically assessed. Random samples were selected from contract centers, broker centers, provider agreement centers, group day homes, provider agreement family day homes, contract family day homes, and broker family day homes. Although the TDHS had purchase arrangements with 1,220 facilities, actual samples included 507 centers, 6 group day homes, and 199 family day homes. Data included about 220 discrete items for family day homes and 500 discrete items for centers and group day homes. Questions asked were: (1) What are the operational characteristics of the facility? (2) How do facilities perform on generally accepted indicators of quality that have been written into service control standards? (3) By specified ages of children, how do centers and group day homes perform on measures of group size, daily activities, and physical environment? and (4) How does performance on measures of quality relate to the facility type, size, and purchase type? The report provides an introduction, background, review of literature, discussion of methodology, findings, summary, discussion, and implications. Over 200 tables of data, measures, and other information are appended. About 100 references are cited. (Author/RH)

In July of 1986, the Legislative Budget Board requested that the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) provide information concerning the number of absences in DHS-paid child day care during fiscal year 1985, and the costs associated with the absences. To fulfill this request, DHS conducted a study to (1) identify by provider type the numbers and costs of DHS-paid, full-day equivalent units of service provided when enrolled children did not attend; (2) determine the extent to which non-attendance was related to holidays and closings as opposed to children's absences; and (3) analyze variations in attendance patterns by provider type, month, and region. Questionnaires were mailed to all 473 child day care providers who were under contract or agreement; 239 usable questionnaires were returned. Returned questionnaires accounted for 88% of the units purchased by DHS in fiscal year 1985. Findings are discussed in terms of patterns of absenteeism, reasons for absence, co-pay collections and attendance, cost of unattended units, and eligible but unbilled enrollment units. Included with the 12-page report are 21 pages of tables, eight charts, and copies of survey instruments and correspondence. (RH)