Child Development, Institutional Care, Child Rearing 

RAISING OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS is a down-to-earth, practical guide to child development and interpersonal relationship skills. Theoretical work in child development and interpersonal relationships is translated into plain, everyday language and illustrated by a rich variety of a houseparents' and foster parents' personal experiences. The book covers development of the whole child: intellectual, psychological, and moral development. Specific techniques for creating an environment which nurtures the development of the whole child are offered. The learning theory of Vygotsky is carefully explained to assure that care providers can more effectively teach the children in their care. Particular attention is paid to nurturing moral development in children who may have had little training in ethical behavior. The authors also address the stresses of living in the fishbowl environment of the group home, and they offer techniques for improving communication skills. It is also explained how care providers can become mediators in order to help residents and colleagues learn conflict resolution skills. Readers may be particularly interested in the chapter in which the authors report the results of a survey of houseparents across the country. Institution supervisors selected their best houseparents to answer this question: What is your best piece of advice for other houseparents? Also outlined are simple methods of preventing and reducing the stress which shortens the tenure of many direct care providers. - from Amzon