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Using National Vital Statistics Birth and Fetal Death Data from 1995 to 2020 linked to county-level information on wildfires, we use variation in wildfire timing to examine how effects of wildfire exposure on infant health vary by maternal education. Results indicate that wildfire exposure increases the likelihood of low birth weight and fetal death, but effects vary by both trimester and maternal education. Mediation analyses suggest the variation by maternal education reflects selective survival and unequal sensitivity, rather than differential parental response to wildfires. In addition, mediation analyses suggest that maternal behaviors explain a greater share of the relationship between wildfire exposure and infant health than air quality. Wildfires may therefore reduce infant health through stress.

The notion of "professional" is built on a concept of traditionally male professions and patriarchal social orders. ECEC (early childhood education and care), however, is a female-dominated field characterised by its unique caring practice. This study investigated how a group of Australian early childhood preservice teachers presented themselves professionally on social media, in relation to respective infant (0-2) and kindergarten (3-5) practica. Data were drawn from focus group discussions about how the participants shared their practicum experiences on Instagram. The paper is guided by Foucault's concepts of self writing. Findings are organised around four themes of self-writing processes: collecting, selecting, annotating, and managing time and tasks. Two narratives are revealed. In the context of the kindergarten placement, the posts constituted a journey of continuous improvement against all odds. In contrast, the infant placement experiences evoked a sense of struggle and renunciation. The paper concludes with implications for further study beyond the Australian context.

This intervention study aimed to assess mothers' knowledge of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). It also measured the impact of a health education program on their level of knowledge and their infants' IDA rates in rural areas of Nablus Governorate. Using a randomized pretest--posttest control group design, the efficacy of 3 months' education program was examined against control group. Assessments were made at baseline and after 3 months of conducting the intervention. A structured interviewing questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge about IDA, and blood samples were collected from infants in both groups. Only 1.9% of mothers in the intervention group and 3.5% of mothers in the control group had good level of knowledge at baseline. After the educational intervention, a significant statistical difference was observed in the mean total knowledge score between the intervention and control groups (33.68 + 5.366 versus 26.12 + 5.243), and the intervention group was seven times more likely to have good knowledge (relative risk = 7.332). Regarding IDA rate, there was a decrease in the infants with IDA in the intervention group (relative risk = 0.671) compared to infants in the control group. The planned health education program was effective in improving mothers' knowledge and reducing the risk of IDA among their infants.

Objective: This study evaluated Tummy Time recommendations in patient education materials and informal sources found on the Internet. Methods: Patient education materials, available from health professionals online, and informal sources, found outside of healthcare, were evaluated for consistency with evidence-informed recommendations. Patient education materials were also evaluated for readability and visual presentation. Results: Twelve sets of patient education materials were included in the top 20 search results. Only one of them addressed all the evidence-informed recommendations accurately. Fifty informal sources were included in analysis, ranging from search rank #1 to #57. Nearly half of the informal sources were judged fully consistent with evidence-informed recommendations. Counter to best practice recommendations, two-thirds of the patient education materials were written above the reading level expected of a student with no more than an elementary school education. All used strategies to enhance clarity, although none met all standards for visual presentation. Conclusion: Although some good resources are available, healthcare providers should exercise caution when selecting or recommending patient education materials online, even when they are available from healthcare professionals. Parents turning to the Internet will find accurate information. However, to develop a comprehensive understanding, they may need to visit multiple sites. Practice Implications: Healthcare professionals are responsible for providing or directing their clients to reliable, comprehensive sources of information, and for being aware of the quality of information they may discover through their own searches. Healthcare websites are responsible for communicating clearly and comprehensively with their clients and the public. Some parent education materials require revision for readability, formatting and consistency with Tummy Time recommendations.

Development of professional competencies is a key outcome of undergraduate programs preparing practitioners to work with infants and toddlers. Competencies for working with young children were examined among 1300 undergraduate students at 12 universities. Students completed a series of online questionnaires indicating their knowledge, beliefs, and hypothetical practices with young children; end-of-semester scores were analyzed using linear regression. Having had a practicum course is associated with more positive dispositions for supporting the development of teacher-child relationships, building partnerships with diverse families, guiding children's behavior, and fostering development and learning. Further, we examined development of dispositions over the course of a semester based on undergraduates' current and past practicum experiences. Implications for programs who prepare infant and toddler practitioners are discussed.

Depression in mothers is consistently associated with reduced caregiving sensitivity and greater infant negative affect expression. The current article examined the real-time behavioral mechanisms underlying these associations using Granger causality time series analyses in a sample of mothers (N = 194; 86.60% White) at elevated risk for depression and their 3-month-old infants (46.40% female) living in a major metropolitan area in the United States. Overall, mothers contingently responded to infant distress, and mothers' responses to infant distress increased the likelihood of infant soothing in real time. However, there was no evidence for maternal contingent responding or facilitation of infant soothing in subsamples of mothers who were currently experiencing elevated depression symptoms or in mothers of highly negative infants. These findings suggest real-time behavioral mechanisms by which risks for maladaptive self-regulation may develop.

Infancy, a formative period for development, has been identified as an advantageous time to provide family-centered support for children with delays. Families should be included as stakeholders during development of such interventions to ensure social value. We describe a preliminary randomized controlled trial evaluating Infant Achievements (IA), an 8-week (16-session) parent-mediated intervention for parents of infants 8-12 months old with social and communication delays. This study reports our qualitative examination of the intervention's social validity. We conducted focus groups with seven IA parent participants and analyzed their responses using conventional content analysis. Five themes emerged: (a) difficulty identifying resources to address concerns; (b) seeking validation of concerns; (c) seeking support to enhance children's development; (d) experiencing a supportive coaching relationship; and (e) creating meaningful interactions to support children's communication and social skills. Our results emphasize the necessity of partnering with families in the development of evidence-based, family-centered interventions for infants with developmental delays to maximize their social value.

A range of structural, interpersonal and individual factors contribute to the extent to which people can access higher education and experience inclusion and equity once there. This paper considers the experiences of parents in higher education settings, and examines the extent to which universities in two countries support parents' inclusion through the facilities and services evident on their campus maps. The inclusion of such parent-related facilities and services on campus maps reflects not only a commitment to providing support infrastructure, but importantly to making them visible, promoting a culture of normalisation of parents and parenting in higher education. We used manifest content analysis to examine the campus maps of Australia's n = 37 and New Zealand's n = 8 public universities, with a total of 281 distinct physical sites identified. Childcare services, parents' rooms, baby change tables, nursing areas and parking-related services were identified, although the prevalence within and across sites varied greatly. A lack of clarity in labelling and inconsistency across different modes of maps pose barriers to access and visibility in some cases, and overall, reporting of parenting-related infrastructure was limited. Our analysis indicates that parents attending university campuses may face ongoing challenges as they navigate their dual academic and parenting responsibilities.

This qualitative case study explores in-depth how one male student teacher reflected on his care practice with infants and how he described his experiences of working with female mentor teachers. The authors used the teacher's daily journal entries, four individual interviews, and weekly team planning meetings as data sources. The data was collected over 15-week period. Findings revealed that the teacher's caring sense gradually evolved through care practice and that he brought in his authenticity as a teacher, not just as a male teacher, while confronting with and critically reflecting upon himself as a teacher. Also, the weekly team planning meetings helped him build relationship with the female mentor teachers. He positively reflected upon his experiences of collaborative teaching. Implication of the findings is discussed in terms of male students in early childhood teacher education programs.

Children's daily contexts shape their experiences. In this study, we assessed whether variations in infant placement (e.g., held, bouncy seat) are associated with infants' exposure to adult speech. Using repeated survey sampling of mothers and continuous audio recordings, we tested whether the use of independence-supporting placements was associated with adult speech exposure in a Southeastern U.S. sample of 60 4- to 6-month-old infants (38% male, predominately White, not Hispanic/Latinx, from higher socioeconomic status households). Within-subject analyses indicated that independence-supporting placements were associated with exposure to fewer adult words in the moment. Between-subjects analyses indicated that infants more frequently reported to be in independence-supporting placements that also provided posture support (i.e., an exersaucer) were exposed to relatively fewer adult words and less consistent adult speech across the day. These findings indicate that infants' opportunities for exposure to adult speech 'in the wild' may vary based on immediate physical context.

This study aimed to investigate how mothers and infants contribute mutually to breastfeeding. The spontaneous interactions of 20 breastfeeding dyads were video-recorded at home, at 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months of infants' life. Mothers' and infants' gaze and tactile behaviour, facial expressions of emotion, and dyadic expressions were continuously micro-analysed. Results showed that a) the developmental patterns of maternal and infant expressive behaviours reflected age-related variations in the way infants regulate their feelings and express their interests to their companions; b) maternal gaze and tactile behaviour, infant's negativity, and participation in a shared activity, were correlated to the breastfeeding duration. Our observations may help health care professionals to support breastfeeding through the facilitation of mother-infant communication.

This study aims to determine the effects of kangaroo care at birth on exclusively breastfeeding, infant growth and development according to attachment theory. The study is a randomized controlled trial. The sample of the study consisted of 132 pregnant women between 36 and 38 gestational weeks. Kangaroo care group received 'kangaroo care and breastfeeding training' and practiced kangaroo care at birth. The control group received routine care. Mothers' attachment levels, exclusively breastfeeding duration for six months, growth and development parameters were evaluated for nine months. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups in exclusive breastfeeding duration (KCG: 5.22 mo ± 1.18 mo; CG: 3.47 mo ± 1.51 mo), growth parameters of infants and mothers' attachment scale mean scores for nine months (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between development parameters of the infants (p > 0.05). It was found that kangaroo care had a positive effect on exclusively breastfeeding and baby's growth.

The earliest experiences of children can ensure their future success, and parenting is noted to be an influential factor (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Lamb et al., 2002). Many researchers theorized that parental involvement could encourage children to actively engage and improve their academic achievement in schools (Epstein, 2018). However, less attention was paid to the significance of parental involvement in infants' development. This article explores the role of parental involvement in infants' development by reviewing and discussing abundant relevant studies. This study recommends that parental involvement should be considered as an affluent resource and a useful tool because it could provide rich information about infants' individual needs and positively help infant teachers to improve their instructional skills.

This study aimed to assess the impact of health education on the caring practices of low-birthweight (LBW) infant mothers in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. A quasi-experiment design with a pretest--post-test control group model was conducted on 159 mothers (78 in the intervention group and 81 in the control group) of LBW infants treated in the perinatology ward of three hospitals in Central Jakarta. Provision of health education to mothers of LBW infants consisted of counselling sessions and one-on-one visits provided by primary health centre nurses. Data were collected four times consecutively over 6 weeks. A generalized estimating equation model with a linear link function was employed to examine LBW infant practice score changes due to intervention and other influential factors at four time points. Results: The LBW infant care practice scores were higher in the intervention group than in the control group at each measurement point. After controlling for maternal attitudes, LBW infant health education increased mothers' infant care practices at 2, 6 and 12 weeks by 2.179, 2.803 and 2.981 points, respectively, and reduced infant morbidity. Six weeks of health education had an effective impact on mothers' home LBW infant care practices and infant health status.

Globally, an estimated 15 million children are born prematurely each year, resulting in a high burden of under-five mortality and neurodevelopmental disability. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a key intervention to support the development of preterm infants. However, evidence on the impact of KMC in routine care settings remains limited. This paper examines the associations between maternal KMC efforts and child development among preterm infants using data from a prospective cohort study conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. Study outcomes were height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) and cognitive development at age 3 years. Practicing KMC was positively associated with HAZ (+0.91 SD, 95% CI [0.126, 1.695]), and cognition (+0.37 SD, [0.034, 0.806]) of preterm children. The results suggest that KMC can improve children's cognitive and physical development. New programmes to increase KMC uptake in the setting studied may be beneficial for both mothers and their preterm children.

The aim of this study is to define the changes within the social dimension of the functional status of women and their partners in the months following the birth of their child. A total of 90 participants were included in the study (45 women and 45 partners). Data were collected in two steps via face-to-face interviews. The first step involved administration of a personal information form and the functional status inventories to the women and their partners between the postpartum sixth and eighth weeks. The second step involved re-administration of the same functional status inventories to the women and their partners in the postpartum sixth month. Results from the examination of the functional status of the women and their partners in the postpartum second and sixth months showed that there was a significant increase in the areas of household activities (p=0,000), social and community activities (p=0,000) and self-care activities (p=0,000) for the women in the sixth month; similarly, for the fathers, household activities (p=0,008), social and community activities (p=0,003) and child care activities (p=0,007) rose in the sixth month. Furthermore, the study found that certain sociodemographic variables had an effect on functional status (p=0,000). It is important that nurses and/or midwives support parents during the pregnancy process, particularly during the transition into their new roles as women and their partners, and help prepare them for the changes to occur as they enter into this new period of life.

Current estimates are that more than one-third of the annual neonatal deaths worldwide occur in humanitarian and fragile settings (United Nations Population Fund 2015). In this article, we focus on the recent multistakeholder effort to produce the "Roadmap to Accelerate Progress for Every Newborn in Fragile and Humanitarian Settings 2020-2025." This effort, led by Save the Children, the UN Children's Fund, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Health Organization, calls for a representation of newborn health issues and action across all phases of emergency response. It specifically emphasizes the need to "engage stakeholders from across humanitarian and development sectors to ensure that mothers and newborns survive and thrive even in the most difficult circumstances" (Save the Children et al. 2020, 5). This commentary also emphasizes basic needs that are vital to the survival and adequate development of newborns, such as avoiding separation from the mother, support for early and exclusive breastfeeding, infection prevention, basic resuscitation, and kangaroo mother care. At the same time, it is critical to establish interventions that create an environment of nurturing care to promote early childhood development.

Breast milk is rich in nutrients and anti-bodies and contains the right quantities of sugar, water, fat and protein that promotes not only growth and development of infants but also important for their survive. Exclusive breastfeeding is enough to the needs of infants less than six months without any addition. Several studies mentioned that the mothers who breastfeed were less risks for certain poor health outcomes. Aim is identifying, prevalence and maternal concerns of exclusive breastfeeding in KAS and ARE. Tools: an interview questionnaire sheet that assessed socio-demographic data of infants and their mothers, maternal satisfaction and concerns and infants' feeding types. Results, 65% from Egyptian mothers feed their infants exclusively while in Saudi mothers was 14%. Regarding maternal concerns, 86% from Saudi mothers unsatisfied with EBF while in the Egyptian mothers was 35% and the main concerns in Saudi mothers returned to, EBF not enough to satisfying the baby, not applicable outdoor, need effort and not suitable for working mothers.

The role of parents has done less during the preterm infant care in hospitals caused dependence in caring for the baby. The objective of the research was to development a model of independence of the mother in the care of preterm infants with experiential learning approach based theory of goal attainment. Research's design used analytic correlational in stage 1 and stage 2 used quasiexperimental. The population used all mothers with preterm infants treated in perinatal Director Hospital Dr. Wahidin Sudiro Husodo Mojokerto and Director Hospital Prof. Dr. Soekandar Mojokerto with sample size of 28 respectively in the treatment group and the control group. Variables used knowledge, decision, action, interaction, experiential learning, and mother independence. The instrument used questionnaire and checklist. The sample was selected by consecutive sampling method. In the treatment group was given ELC module and the control group was given treatment by leaflets. Technical data analysts used Partial Linear Square (PLS) and independent t test. New finding of research is interaction with the approach of Experiential Learning Care (ELC) through methods play a stronger role in improving the independence than interaction direct to independence.

In various case-based training courses, such as engineering, science and medical courses, students need to learn not only the skills to deal with problems, but also the knowledge to identify problems and make correct decisions. Such educational objectives have been recognized by educators as being important but challenging. In this study, an RSI (Recognize, Summarize, Inquire)-based flipped classroom is proposed to achieve this aim. Moreover, an explorative study was designed to probe the effectiveness of the proposed approach in a nursing case-based training course. The case-handling performances of the students trained with the RSI-based flipped classroom and those trained with the conventional flipped classroom were compared. The findings reveal that the RSI-based flipped classroom promoted the students' learning achievement, self-efficacy, critical thinking, and satisfaction more than the conventional case-based training did.

One of the earliest challenges for infants and their parents is developing a diurnal sleep--wake cycle. Although the human biological rhythm is circadian by nature, its development varies across cultures, based in part on "zeitgebers" (German: literally "time-givers") or environmental cues. This study uses the developmental niche framework by Super and Harkness to address two different approaches to getting the baby on a schedule. 33 Dutch and 41 U.S. mothers were interviewed when their babies were 2 and 6 months old. A mixed-methods analysis including counts of themes and practices as well as the examination of actual quotes shows that Dutch mothers emphasized the importance of regularity in the baby's daily life and mentioned practices to establish regular schedules for the baby's sleeping, eating, and time outside more than American mothers did. The U.S. mothers, in contrast, discussed regularity less often and when they did, they emphasized that their baby should develop his or her own schedule. Furthermore, actual daily schedules, based on time allocation diaries kept by the mothers, revealed greater regularity among the Dutch babies. Discussion focuses on how culture shapes the development of diurnal rhythms, with implications for "best practices" for infant care.

This research addresses caregivers and infants in the infant class in the day-care centre. It focuses on an intervention programme with the goal of getting to know the attitudes of caregivers and examining their influence on infants. In the programme, the caregivers will be given the possibility of sharing with peers and of learning contemporary knowledge. The chosen research approach is the mixed methods approach, in which both quantitative and qualitative strategies are used. The sample included 23 caregivers of the 'Smart Start' Chain. All the participants filled out questionnaires before and after the intervention programme. Some were interviewed, and the data of the intervention programme itself were collected and analysed. The research presents the change caregivers experienced. The intervention programme can constitute a basis for an instruction programme that will increase the quality of the solutions provided for caregivers and thus for infants under their care.

There are over 3,000 sleep related infant deaths each year in the United States. Attempts to teach medical personnel and parents safe infant sleep practices in the infant sleep training literature have demonstrated mixed results. Thus, strategies to teach arrangements of safe infant sleep environments warrant further investigation. Behavioral skills training (BST) is an evidence-based teaching strategy shown to successfully teach various safety skills to children and adults. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training to teach safe infant sleep practices to typically developing adults. Specifically, differential responding was assessed across multiple environmental arrangements typical of contexts parents may be exposed to when putting an infant to sleep. BST significantly improved appropriate arrangement of a safe sleep environment for infants for all 8 participants.

Annually, thousands of infant deaths are classified as sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs). In an effort to reduce the risk of SUIDs, the American Academy of Pediatrics has made a number of recommendations to educate caregivers, childcare providers, and healthcare professionals on safe infant sleep practices. The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on safe infant sleep practices by teaching caregivers to arrange safe infant sleep environments using a mannequin and common infant items. We partnered with community-based agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral skills training delivered in a single training session as part of the ongoing pre- or postnatal care these agencies provided. Following training, all participants demonstrated a substantial change in responding and returned favorable social validity ratings. We discuss these outcomes in light of previous studies, limitations, and future directions.

Findings from a study investigating the effects of early intervention settings on the extent of parent involvement in IDEA Part C Infant and Toddler Programs are reported. Participants were 124 parents and other primary caregivers of children receiving early intervention in 22 states who completed an investigator-developed scale measuring different ways in which early childhood practitioners involved parents in their children's early intervention. Results showed that provision of early intervention entirely or partially outside a family's home were associated with minimal parent involvement and that more than 50% of the parents, regardless of setting or context, were not involved in their children's early intervention in a manner consistent with the IDEA Part C family capacity-building provision. The need for better preparation of early intervention practitioners is described.

The transition to motherhood can be challenging. The baby book market has taken advantage of this, publishing a range of books that suggest adopting strict routines for infant sleep, feeding, and general care. Despite their multi-million sales, their impact has not been established. The aim of this study was to explore the maternal experience of using these books, and the association with maternal well-being. Three hundred and fifty-four mothers with an infant aged 0-12 months reported use of infant parenting books that promote strict routines, experience of using them, and measures of postnatal depression, maternal self-efficacy and parenting stress. Use of the books was associated with increased depressive symptoms and stress, alongside lower self-efficacy, although experience of using the books predicted this. Although those who found the books useful had greater well-being, the majority did not find them useful, which was associated with lower well-being.

The aim of this review is to identify the behavioural soothing interventions (BSIs) used for reducing infant crying and to determine their effect. Studies had to describe an experimental study addressing infant crying and BSIs in the first six months after birth. Searches were performed in Web of Science, Pubmed, Science Direct, EBSCOhost, PsycINFO, and COCHRANE. It was determined from the studies that massage, spinal manipulative therapy, and occipito-sacral decompression have a positive effect on the soothing of crying behaviour in infants. It was determined that BSIs are most effective when applied before the 8th week and that certain BSIs are effective in reducing the crying duration. It was revealed that there is a need for a standard data collection tool for the determination of the crying duration. Professionals interested in child health should be aware of irregularities in the crying of infants in the early period.

Objectives: To determine the frequency of 14 discipline strategies used by mothers (n = 564) and fathers (n = 335) in caring for their six-month old infant. Methods: Data on discipline practices were obtained from families participating in an obesity prevention trial (Prevention of Overweight in Infancy). Each parent was asked to indicate the frequency of using 14 different discipline strategies during the previous week with their infant. Associations between the use of these strategies and parity, deprivation, parental ethnicity, depression symptoms and infant sex were investigated. Results: Parents reported using both positive (mean: 8.8 for mothers and 7.9 for partners) and negative (0.7 for mothers and 0.7 for partners) strategies over the past week. At six months, positive strategies such as smiling, praising and distraction were most commonly reported (=87% for both mothers and partners), negative strategies such as smacking, time out and shouting being reported infrequently (=8% for all). Discipline requiring a level of cognitive understanding not developed at six months was reasonably common, including reasoning (17.7% for mothers, 23.4% for partners), negotiation (6.2%, 11.7%) and ignoring (26%, 19%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that mothers with more than one child had a lower positive discipline index than those with only one child (difference, 95% C.I.: 1.05 (0.57, 1.54). An increase of one point on the 10-point hostile parenting scale was associated with an increase of 0.18 (0.04, 0.31) for the mothers and 0.47 (0.23, 0.70) for partners on the negative strategy index. Conclusions: Discipline strategies emerge early in infancy and are associated with family size and parental hostility.

High-quality child care has been shown to improve the academic success and life adjustments of children living in poverty. During the past decade, many American states have adopted voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement (QRI) systems in an attempt to increase the level of quality in child care. Using data compiled by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies and the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2010, this study examined potential correlations between a variety of economic variables and the use or non-use of QRI systems in 14 states in the southern United States. Analyses of these data revealed no statistically significant relation between these states' implementation of QRI systems and several variables: full-time annual child care cost (center-based care or family child care) for infants and for 4-year-olds, annual infant care costs as a percentage of annual family median income (married-couple families and families headed by single females), annual child care worker wages, and annual mean wages for all occupations. The article concludes with recommendations for future research. (Contains 15 tables and 1 figure.)

We observed 11 undergraduates in an experiment designed to simulate infant caregiving. In negative reinforcement conditions experienced by all participants, a targeted caregiving response (e.g., rocking a baby doll) produced escape from, and avoidance of, a recorded infant cry. Nine participants' caregiving was shown to be controlled by this negative reinforcement contingency. Nine participants experienced an extinction condition that consisted of an inescapable cry, and the previously reinforced caregiving responses of 2 of these participants were resistant to extinction. For both of these participants, the previously reinforced response was eliminated when an alternative form of caregiving was reinforced. These results highlight the role of negative reinforcement in infant caregiving and suggest the need for additional research on the effects of crying on caregivers as well as the development of effective strategies for minimizing infant crying. (Contains 4 figures.)

Using a grounded theory approach, this study explores the ways a diverse group of pre-service student caregivers, new to teaching and caring for infants, come to understand notions of 'love' during an infant practicum course in the United States. Through analysing weekly dialogue journals and course assignments produced by each of the 8 participants, we captured their unique and complex experiences of love and care in the infant room. Results revealed that for love and trust between student caregivers and babies to evolve, caregivers need to acknowledge babies as unique individuals, and commit to getting to know and understand them in depth. Further, student caregivers develop intimate caregiving connections and loving relationships with babies through shared time and space. Loving care for babies became an integral experience and an essential pedagogical tool for student caregivers as they developed their professional identities. Our exploration of the deep and complex connections between love, care, and education in childcare, which have been for the most part overlooked, silenced, or simply ignored, has important implications for re-envisioning the notion of love in non-familial infant care.

Within the context of the education-care divide in the field, numerous studies have affirmed that preschool teachers feel unprofessional when they assume a caring role yet believe that love and care are central to their work. However, immigrant/refugee teachers may experience this tensionality more acutely since their own cultural beliefs and values about caring for young children are situated outside the authoritative discourse, underpinned by western theories and practices. Framed by sociocultural-historical theory and concepts such as communities of practice, the purpose of this one-year ethnographic study was to enquire into how immigrant/refugee women studying in a Canadian early childhood college programme navigated the interstices between these discourses. Qualitative data were collected through field notes, spatial mapping, interviews, focus groups, and artefacts/documents. This article focuses on disjuncture between the cultural and religious understandings of care that five African, Muslim refugee women brought to their field placements in infant/toddler classrooms and the authoritative professional expectations, as related to mealtime practices. The findings elucidated how they interpreted care not only as a means of ensuring children's health and well-being, but also as a means of teaching religious and cultural values.