Mick Coleman

Helping Children Cope with Stress in the Classroom Setting.

T en-year-old Sheila lives with her mother and 7-year-old brother in a middle-class neighborhood. Although Sheila usually receives good grades in school, she becomes very anxious prior to a big test or project. She has a few friends, but frequently has disagreements with them. In fact, she is considered unpopular and is occasionally taunted at school. At the end of each school day, Sheila and her brother go home to an empty house, where they are usually alone for an hour or two. On the days their mother works late, Sheila and her brother may be alone for up to four hours, and Sheila is responsible for preparing dinner. Although faced with numerous stressors, Sheila has only a few coping strategies at her disposal, none of which are very effective. For example, Sheila starts fights when she has trouble getting along with her classmates. She uses television as an escape from the pressures of schoolwork or being alone at home. As a result, Sheila usually gets a late start on her assignments, and subsequently stays u p past her normal bedtime to complete her work. She becomes tired and irritable, making it difficult for her to pay attention the next day in class or to get along with her peers and teachers. Like Sheila, many school-age children are subject to school-related stressors such as failing grades, overly demanding classroom environments, athletic requirements, peer relationships, tests, and conflicts with teachers (Jewett, 1997; Romano, 1997; Scherer, 1996; Sears & Milburn, 1990). Stress is part of even the youngest students’ lives, making the concept of a carefree childhood nearly obsolete (Large, 1999). Teachers witness many of these stressors and their effects on the classroom. Academic problems, behavioral problems, children’s complaints of stomachaches or headaches, and drug use all may be related to excessive levels of stress in children’s lives (Omizo, Omizo, & Suzuki, 1988; Ryan-Wenger & Copeland, 1994). Various theoretical models explain stress and its effects on individuals. None of these models, however, deals explicitly with childhood stress. One popular model, the cognitive-transactional model, does provide a convincing means of describing children’s experiences with stress (e.g., Atkins & Krantz, 1993; Ryan-Wenger & Copeland, 1994; Sharrer & Ryan-Wenger, 1991; Sorensen, 1994).

Connecting Families and Classrooms Using Family Involvement Webs

F A amily involvement has become a popular concept for educators, as they increasingly recognize the benefits that result from engaging families in their children’s education within and outside the classroom. Yet, family involvement is not well understood (White & Coleman, in press). Although models are available (Epstein, 1995; Epstein ‘& Dauber, 1991), implementation of family involvement programs can, at times, be difficult. Families do not share the same backgrounds or interests. Family schedules do not allow for uniform activities. For various reasons, parents may not be able to carry out the educational activities that are sent home. Fortunately, educators can manage these challenges by searching for common ground between families and classrooms (Coleman, 1997). Just as classroom activities require planning and organization, so too does family involvement. This article introduces family involvement webs as one means by which to plan for and organize a family involvement program.

A typology of families with children in self-care: Implications for school-age child care programming

An increasing number of schools and youth service organizations are developing school-age child care programs to serve children who wound otherwise be left in self-care. The purpose of this study was to identify the differences between families using a self-care arrangement and the implications of these differences for school-age child care program development. A sample of 164 families with school-age children in self-care (or the care of another school-age sibling), was drawn from a Southern metropolitan school system. Parents were surveyed about their self-care arrangement, the types of school-age child care services they needed, and barriers to having those needs met. Using discriminant analysis, the 164 families were reclassified into three groups. The resulting family profiles are examined in relation to school-age child care program development.

School-age child care: A review of five common arguments

During the past decade, parents and educators have increasingly expressed concern over the potential safety and developmental risks associated with children in self-care, or the care of another child (Garbarino, 1984; Harris, Kagay, & Ross, 1987; Robinson, Rowland, & Coleman, 1986; 1989; Zigler & Ennis, 1988). One result has been a growing interest in school-age child care (SACC) programs.

Children in self-care: An examination of research confounds

Abstract Families using self-care, in-home, and out-of-home child care arrangements were compared on a number of demographic variables. Certain variables (e.g., family income; marital status) were, as expected, related to the type of child care in use. However, one unexpected trend also was identified: regardless of the type of child care arrangement reported by parents, as the age of children increased across the out-of-home, in-home, and self-care family groups so too did the number of hours children spent at home alone. This trend is discussed in relation to two confounding areas of which researchers should be aware when conducting school-age child care needs assessment surveys and conducting self-care studies: (a) the context within which the self-care decision is made; and (b) the reasoning that goes into making the self-care decision.

Latchkey children and school-age child care: A review of programming needs

Latchkey children, those children left at home alone when not in school, are increasingly gaining the attention of youth service professionals. Unfortunately, little consistent latchkey research is available by which to guide school-age child care (SACC) program development. In this paper, the authors build upon their research and applied work in the latchkey/SACC field to address issues on which researchers and SACC programmers can work together to increase our understanding of the latchkey phenomenon and contribute to the development of research-based SACC programs.

Pediatric AIDS: The professional responsibilities of child caregivers to children and families

Information about the nature and control of AIDS is now available to the general public. Policies regarding the physical care of AIDS victims are also available to health care professionals. Unfortunately, information about professional issues like acceptance of AIDS victims, confidentiality, and family support is less available. One audience in particular need of such information is child caregivers who, in the years ahead, can expect to see an increasing number of children who are infected with the HIV virus. In this paper, the author addresses the professional responsibilities of child caregivers who care for children with AIDS or HIV infection.

Child abuse and child care: A descriptive study of center policies and caregiver experiences

Much of the recent media attention devoted to child abuse has included the child care profession, although few documented abuse cases have actually occurred within child care centers. While educational programs have been developed to help children, parents, and teachers identify and respond to child abuse, little information is available which can help caregivers prevent false accusations of abuse. Toward this end, caregivers are especially in need of strategies by which to build an open and trusting relationship with parents. This study involved a survey of 264 child caregivers about selected aspects of center policies and caregiver experiences that may influence the caregiver‐parent relationship. Implications for early childhood educators in helping caregivers to build a more open and positive relationship with parents are summarized.

Engaging Families in the Fight against the Overweight Epidemic among Children

Engaging families in the fight against the overweight epidemic among children. Subject: Obesity in children (Prevention) Children (Food and nutrition) Authors: Coleman, Mick Wallinga, Charlotte Bales, Diane Pub Date: 03/22/2010 Publication: Name: Childhood Education Publisher: Association for Childhood Education International Audience: Academic; Professional Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Education; Family and marriage Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 Association for Childhood Education International ISSN: 0009-4056 Issue: Date: Spring, 2010 Source Volume: 86 Source Issue: 3 Product: Product Code: E121920 Children Geographic: Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States Accession Number: 220467974 Full Text:

Health and Safety in the Early Childhood Classroom: Guidelines for Curriculum Development

great deal of attention has been given to childhood health and safety over the past decade, and for good reason. Rates of childhood overweight are on the rise (Krebs et al., 2003) and childhood injuries remain unacceptably high (National Safe Kids Campaign, 2003). In response to these and other threats, different groups and government agencies in the United States have taken steps to advance a healthier and safer environment for young children. Some of these steps include creating an index for tracking childhood well-being (Foundation for Child Development, 2004), conducting a nationwide longitudinal study to better understand the threats to childhood health and well-being (National Children’s Study, 2004), and establishing national health objectives to promote a healthier society (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000a). In addition, medical organizations have issued recommendations aimed at controlling specific health threats, such as those associated with overconsumption of soft drinks (Taras et al., 2004) and obesity (Krebs et al., 2003). Early childhood teachers have a variety of health and safety resources to draw upon, including information about and educational programs dealing with such issues as fire safety (Cole, Crandall, & Kourofsky, 2004), obesity (Huettig, Sanborn, DiMarco, Popejoy, & Rich, 2004), and dental hygiene (Alkon & Boyer-Chu, 2004). In addition, early childhood teachers can take advantage of Internet resources and fact sheets provided by such organizations as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004) and the National Safe Kids Campaign (2004a). On the other hand, teachers may face a number of challenges when attempting to incorporate health and safety resources into the curriculum. In some cases, the resources may not be age-appropriate or may not meet the needs and interests of children in a particular classroom. Other teachers may believe they lack the time or background knowledge to properly understand or implement activities aimed at promoting health and safety practices among young children. Consequently, teachers need guidelines to help them select and develop health and safety educational activities for their classrooms. This article will share three guidelines-defining health and safety concepts, establishing a rationale for a health and safety curriculum, and identifying theoretical perspectives to guide a health and safety curriculum-that the authors followed in developing and implementing a preschool health and safety curriculum that has been used by early childhood trainers and teachers across three states in the southeastern United States (Bales, Coleman, & Wallinga, 2004). Teachers ne d