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Background: Assessing children's movement skill competence objectively is resource and time intensive. Family childcare providers (FCCPs) are with young children for most of a normal weekday and may have an understanding of their motor skill competence. Objective: This study examined how well FCCPs can report on preschoolers' motor skills. Method: Seventy-eight 3-5 year olds (53.1% girls) from 26 FCCPs participated. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed actual motor skill competence and a survey assessed preschoolers' motor competence as reported by FCCPs. Bivariate correlations examined associations between actual and FCCPs' proxy-report of preschoolers' motor skill competence. Regression models tested the predictive power of FCCPs' proxy-report on actual preschoolers' motor skill competence, accounting for age and sex. Results: There were moderate significant correlations for locomotion (r = 0.30), object control (r = 0.38), and overall motor skill competence (r = 0.36). The regression models showed proxy report was statistically associated with preschoolers' object control skills (ß = 0.78, p = 0.011) and overall motor skills (ß = 0.72, p = 0.022), but not locomotor skills (ß = 0.52, p = 0.084). FCCPs' proxy-report of preschoolers' motor skill competence explained 20.9, and 20.1% of preschoolers' variance in object control, and overall motor skill competence, respectively after adjusting for biological sex and age (increasing). Conclusions: FCCPs may be used as an alternative source of information in reporting young children's actual motor skill competence, at least for the object control domain. There is an opportunity for education of FCCPs regarding children's locomotor skill development.

Recently, national attention has turned to the need for increased financial education, particularly for low-income populations. Incarcerated individuals represent a growing low-income group with unique needs that could likely benefit from financial education. However, few studies have examined the specific financial education needs of inmates, particularly from their own perspectives. Through qualitative interviews with 12 men incarcerated in a Midwestern county jail and using grounded theory methodology for data analysis, this study identifies their self-perceived financial education needs as well as perceived barriers to receiving financial education while incarcerated. Implications for financial educators are also discussed.

Background: Family child care is commonly used in the US by families, including by those receiving child care subsidies. Psychosocial influences upon the workforce and professional development participation of family child care providers (FCCPs) have implications for the investment of public dollars that aim to improve quality and stability of child care. Objective: We examined psychosocial influences upon workforce and professional development participation of FCCPs. We hypothesized lower levels of psychosocial stress and higher levels of peer support would be associated with less consideration of exit. We hypothesized that those providers embracing a greater sense of themselves as ECE professionals and reporting the support of professional peers would have greater participation in professional development. Methods: This study employed the use of administrative survey data in path modeling. Results: Multivariate analyses of survey data indicated that psychosocial stress had a significant, positive association with consideration of exit. In contrast, perceived peer support had a significant, negative association with consideration of exit. A stronger sense of identity as an early care and education professional had a significant, positive association with professional development participation as measured by training hours completed in the past year. The support of professional peers was not observed to have a significant association with professional development participation. Conclusion: Results suggest the importance of considering psychosocial factors in planning workforce development and educational programs for FCCPs. This may include developing supports to help FCCPs cope with the psychosocial stress of care work, build professional identities, and connect with peer providers to promote stability and quality caregiving in the ECE workforce. We propose additional qualitative research aimed at understanding the context of FCC care as a mechanism for informing the development of these supports.

This study examined social support as a potential moderator between stress and depressive symptoms among Mexican university applicants aged 16--21 years ("N" = 6,715; "M" age = 17.9 years; 55% female). In bivariate analyses, perceived stress was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, and social support with lower levels of both stress and depression. Moderation analyses conducted using hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that global social support reduced the association between stress and depression. Analyses examining support from different sources (family, friends, and significant other) indicated that family support played a unique role in buffering the negative effects of stress. Findings are consistent with the stress-buffering hypothesis and confirm the importance of the family as Mexican youth enter late adolescence. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Immigrants from Latin America are increasingly settling in rural U.S. communities that welcome them as workers but are often unprepared to address their needs and promote their well-being. Building on recent descriptive studies, we examined factors associated with individual and family well-being in a sample of 112 immigrant Latina mothers (mean age 34.5 years, 93% Mexican) who completed in-person interviews. Mothers who reported a more negative community climate reported lower levels of individual and family well-being (life satisfaction, financial well-being, and food security). Composite measures of economic and social capital were positively related to family well-being; unexpectedly, mothers with higher levels of human capital reported lower levels of life satisfaction. Discussion focuses on implications of results for future research, theory-building, and practice. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study used dinnertime observational data to investigate parental praise in Chinese-immigrant and European-American families. Three process models of praise with distinctive communicative content were uncovered. Two models focus on adherence to parental expectations, which promote the development of an interdependent self (interdependence-promoting praise). One focuses on child's self-initiated behaviors and supports the development of an independent self (independence-supportive praise). Consistent with past findings, independence-supportive praise is widely distributed in European-American families. Although interdependence-promoting praise has been overlooked in previous research, it is commonly found in Chinese-immigrant families. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of culturally inclusive models of praise. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

This study used a mixed methodology to investigate reliability, validity, and analysis level with Chinese immigrant observational data. European-American and Chinese coders quantitatively rated 755 minutes of Chinese immigrant parent-toddler dinner interactions on parental sensitivity, intrusiveness, detachment, negative affect, positive affect, and parents' confidence. They also gave qualitative coding rationales for their quantitative ratings. Analysis of quantitative ratings indicated systematic differences associated with coder ethnicity. Such differences could threaten the reliability between coders with different ethnicities. Analysis of qualitative rationales revealed different cultural links between concepts and behavior cues, which could challenge the cross-cultural validity of a macro-level coding system. When a coding system is incongruous with coders' cultural schemata, even after intensive training, the effect of culture cannot be eliminated. Implications of these findings for observational cultural research are discussed.

Previous scholarship on farm families emphasizes the importance of socializing children to become farmers. This study is the first to focus on the parental socialization factors that are associated with preadolescent children's attachment to, and plans to take over, the family farm. Forty-seven 7- to 12-year-old children and their farming parents responded to a survey regarding the child's involvement in farm work, the father's wishes concerning the child's future in farming, the children's perceptions of their relationship with parents, and the children's perceptions of parents' worry about the farm. Three of these four factors were associated with the children's plans to farm. Recommendations are provided to rural educators for supporting farm children and their families. (Contains 1 table.)

For older adults, social integration and the strength of social ties are profoundly important predictors of well-being and longevity. Can the physical environment be designed to promote older adults' social integration with their neighbors? We examined this possibility by testing the relationships between varying amount of exposure to green outdoor common spaces and the strength of ties among neighbors. Results of interviews with 91 older adults (between the ages of 64 and 91 years) from one inner-city neighborhood show that the use of green outdoor common spaces predicted both the strength of neighborhood social ties and sense of community. Although the strength of these relationships were modest, the findings suggest that the characteristics of outdoor common spaces can play a role in the formation and maintenance of social ties among older adult residents of inner-city neighborhoods. The results have implications for designers, managers, and residents of housing developments., Social relationships are important to individuals in all cultures and across the entire human life span. Social ties are especially important for elderly people. Elderly individuals with strong social connections [...]

Responding to the needs of growing immigrant populations, many US social service sectors have recruited bilingual and bicultural practitioners, including immigrants. However, little is known about the immigrant social workers. This article explores the practice context of immigrant child welfare social workers in the United States. First, acculturation theory is applied to frame the experiences of US immigrants. Second, we explore professional development of practitioners working with immigrant families. Third, we discuss the intersectionality connecting immigration and social work professionalization. We conclude that the immigration and acculturation experiences of immigrant social workers are unique strengths for working with immigrant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Mealtime emotional climate (MEC) is related to parent feeding and mental health, and possibly to child food consumption. However, MEC has been inconsistently assessed with a variety of coding schemes and self-report instruments, and has not been examined longitudinally. This study aims to characterize MEC systematically using an observational, count-based coding scheme; identify whether parent feeding or mental health predict MEC; and examine whether MEC predicts child food consumption and weight.Methods: A subsample of parents (n = 74) recruited from a larger study completed questionnaires when children were about 37 months, participated in a home visit to videotape a mealtime when children were about 41 months, and completed questionnaires again when children were about 51 months old. Maternal and child positive and negative emotions were coded from videotaped mealtimes. Observational data were submitted to cluster analyses, to identify dyads with similar emotion expression patterns, or MEC. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of MEC, and Analysis of Covariance was used to examine differences between MEC groups.Results: Dyads were characterized as either Positive Expressers (high positive, low negative emotion) or All Expressers (similar positive and negative emotion). Increased food involvement feeding practices were related to decreased likelihood of being an All Expresser. Positive Expressers reported that their children ate more healthy food, compared with All Expressers.Conclusions: Observed MEC is driven by maternal emotion, and may predict child food consumption. Food involvement may promote positive MEC. Improving MEC may increase child consumption of healthy foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given changing demographic patterns in the U.S. population, learning about diversity is important for students in family studies. The current study examined 44 syllabi of courses that addressed family diversity issues. The syllabi were reviewed with respect to (a) how instructors were structuring courses, (b) the level at which these courses were offered (e.g., undergraduate or graduate), (c) the topics that were included in these courses, (d) the departments that were offering the courses, (e) the types of instructional materials utilized, and (f) the assessment strategies employed. In addition to providing descriptive information, evaluative recommendations, and directions for future research, our findings are useful for instructors who are interested in developing or revising courses on family diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A case study of community psychology consultation illustrates the assessment, collaboration, and organizing activities dictated by an open-systems, ecologically oriented approach to building structures that bridge the gap between school and community. Three types of participation structures are identified: (a) family to school communication; (b) communication among families; and (c) an active, family-run organization. Bridging activities include special event and program planning along with spontaneous “moments'of opportunity” that express family and neighborhood interests. The entry, assessment, and development of bridging activities in search for more permanent structures is described in the context of the school district and its historical relation to the neighborhood. Questions addressed include, How can low-income families be involved in schools in ways that benefit both their own empowerment and the well-being of their children? Where do barriers exist for meaningful participation of families in schools? What are the characteristics of meaningful family involvement? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]