Provider management of child stress behavior in family day care facilities: scaffolding for learning and development...

Six children (5 boys, 1 girl; aged 36-60 months) participated in this qualitative study. Each child was enrolled in a different family child care facility. The authors rated the child care providers in 3 of the facilities as using developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) most of the time and rated the providers in the 3 other facilities as rarely or never using DAP. They also examined provider management of children's stress behaviors. The authors observed less active and passive stress behaviors in the high-DAP facilities than in the low-DAP facilities. The authors discuss the results with regard to the distinctively different day care culture found in high-DAP facilities versus low-DAP facilities and the implications for practice.