This study examined patterns and predictors of early versus late match relationship beginnings involving youth and adult volunteer mentors participating in Canadian Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) community mentoring programs. Survival and multinomial logistic regression models were estimated on a sample of 845 youth approved for service from 20 mentoring agencies. Results showed that just over half of the youth (53%) had been paired with a mentor 6months from the completion of their baseline assessment. At 12months, 70% had been paired. Compared to never-mentored youth, predictors associated with a reduced chance of an early match beginning (<6months) included youth gender (boys) and a rural or small town place of residence. Youth perceptions of emotional support from parents/caregivers and parents' expressed need for another adult in their child's life were associated with an increased chance of both early (<6months) and late match beginnings (6 or more months). Implications for agency services are discussed.

Parent-child interaction is important for early childhood development and best practice in early child care and education (ECCE) promotes effective parent-child interaction. However, research about ECCE impact on parent-child interaction is inconclusive. This study analyzed data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) to examine the effect of ECCE attendance on parent-child interactions in Central Asia, using a 2SLS regression analysis to explicitly model selection bias and isolate the causal effect of ECCE on the quality of parent-child interactions. The study found that increased hours of ECCE led to increased parent-child interaction in every country under investigation. This demonstrates that even underfunded ECCE programs in Central Asia can have significant positive effect, and has broader implications for all ECCE programs.

Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education is a refereed journal concerned with publishing scholarly and relevant articles on continuing education, professional development, and training in the field of social welfare. The aims of the journal are to advance the science of professional development and continuing social work education, to foster understanding among educators, practitioners, and researchers, and to promote discussion that represents a broad spectrum of interests in the field. The opinions expressed in this journal are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the policy positions of The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Social Work or its Center for Social and Behavioral Research. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education is published two times a year (Spring and Winter) by the Center for Social and Behavioral Research at 1923 San Jacinto, D3500 Austin, TX 78712. Our website at www.profdevjournal.org contains additional information regarding submission of publications and subscriptions. Copyright © by The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Social Work’s Center for Social and Behavioral Research. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.