Childrearing in Hubai Village, China. Working Papers in Early Childhood Development 25.

With the aim of tailoring future programming decisions to local conditions and concerns, an ethnographic study was commissioned to examine childrearing practices in a small middle income village in Hebei Province, China. The research was designed to learn about the concerns and goals of child care providers, and about the strategic thinking and activities that derived from these goals and concerns. This report details the study of 10 children between the ages 1 and 3 and their caregivers, typically parents or grandparents, who were observed over a 12-month period as they went about their everyday routines. Additional information was obtained through conversations with caregivers. The research was conducted in three stages, each stage during a different agricultural season. Section 1 of the report summarizes the child care arrangements for each of the children studied, showing that arrangements varied by family, and frequently changed throughout the year to accommodate parental employment and other circumstances. Section 2 of the report describes adults' practices and expectations with respect to children's health and hygiene, the various activities comprising a child's day, what adults endeavor to teach children, and children's relationships with adults. The topics covered in this section of the report address the key areas of concern articulated by childcare providers in the course of the research: (1) child health, hygiene, and the body; (2) children's activities, including toys, books, television, drawing and writing, visiting friends, and visiting relatives; (3) purposeful teaching, including names, personal information, songs and poems, counting, and teaching styles; and (4) behavior toward adults, including obedience, addressing adults, and hosting adult guests. (KB)