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5
Effects of Child Care
O ne by-product of the increase in women's employment in the United
States has been a transformation in how children are cared for.
This transformation has affected children of all ages--from the
youngest infants to adolescents. Children in the United States typically
begin full-time (i.e., 40 hours a week) nonmaternal care during their first
year and this often lasts through elementary school, since the regular school
day is typically shorter than parents' workdays. A critical issue for parents,
educators, and policy makers is whether these care experiences are a source
of enrichment that contributes positively to children's developmental out-
comes or are a source of risk that undermines development.
Substantial progress has been made in the past 15 years in determining
the effects of child care on children's cognitive and social functioning. This
progress reflects a convergence of conceptual and methodological advances
and the availability of several large-scale research projects (see Box 5-1).
From this research base, it is possible to specify the effects of nonmaternal
care on children's development with greater confidence and precision than
was possible when the National Academies published the 1990 report en-
titled Who Cares for America's Children? (NRC, 1990).
This chapter reviews the conceptual and methodological advances that
have informed recent research. Then we evaluate the research evidence
pertaining to the effects of three aspects of early child care--quality, type of
care, and quantity--on a wide range of child developmental outcomes.
Included in this review is consideration of experimental studies of center-
based early education programs, which fulfill both child care and educa-
99
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100 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
BOX 5-1
Multisite Child Care Studies
1. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Study of Early Child Care
The Study of Early Child Care (SECC) is a prospective longitudinal study of
1,364 children recruited at birth from 10 research sites: Little Rock, Arkansas;
Irvine, California; Lawrence, Kansas; Boston, Massachusetts; Morganton, North
Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Charlottesville,
Virginia; Seattle, Washington; and Madison, Wisconsin. The sample includes eth-
nic minority children (24 percent), mothers without a high school diploma (10 per-
cent), and single mothers (14 percent). The recruited families did not differ from
the eligible families on any of a substantial number of variables, except that moth-
ers in the study were more likely to plan to be employed in their infant's first year.
Of the 1,364 families who began the study, 1,216 continued through 36 months,
1,062 continued through 1st grade, and 1,033 continued through 3rd grade.
Extensive information was collected about child care, families, and child
functioning (see Annex Table A5-4). Extended observations of children's primary
child care arrangements were conducted at 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months. Mothers
reported amount and types of care during phone interviews every three to four
months. In addition, extensive information about the children's families and homes
was obtained during home and lab visits at 1, 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months. Child
developmental (cognitive, social, academic, and health) outcomes were assessed
using multiple methods (standardized tests, observations, questionnaires) and
multiple respondents (mother, father, teacher).
The study's design has made it possible to examine quality, quantity, and
type of child care in the same analyses in order to estimate the unique contribu-
tions of each factor. It also is possible to examine effects of timing (see Brooks-
Gunn et al., 2002) and trajectories of care (see NICHD Early Child Care Research
Network, 2002c). Another strength is that it is possible to include extensive con-
trols for family factors, including controls for such observed factors as mother-child
interaction and the home environment. The longitudinal data have permitted ex-
aminations of changes in scores (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network and
Duncan, 2002).
Although it is a remarkably rich dataset, the NICHD study is limited in some
important respects. The sample is not nationally representative. Compared with
Census Bureau figures from all births in the United States in 1991, white, non-
Hispanic children are somewhat overrepresented in the sample and children from
ethnic minority groups are somewhat underrepresented (NICHD Early Child Care
Research Network, 2001c). Mean household income and maternal education also
were higher than the U.S. average. There also are indications (NICHD Early Child
Care Research Network, 2000a) that poorer quality child care settings were less
likely to have been observed, meaning that effects associated with quality of child
care may be underestimated.
2. Cost, Quality, and Outcome Study
The Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study (CQO; Peisner-Feinberg et al.,
1999) was conducted in four states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, and North
Carolina) that varied in the stringency of their child care regulations. The initial
sample was recruited in 1993 and consisted of 579 children (30 percent ethnic
minority) who were enrolled in 183 preschool classrooms. At the start of the study,
the children were in their next-to-last year of preschool before entering school.
Classrooms were observed and rated for quality of the classroom environment,
teacher sensitivity, and teaching style. These quality indicators were combined
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 101
into a single process quality composite. Children were followed through two years
of child care and the first three years of school (kindergarten through 2nd grade)
and completed tests of receptive language ability, reading ability, and math skills.
Child care staff and schoolteachers rated the children's cognitive and attention
skills, sociability, and problem behaviors yearly.
3. The Three-State Study
The Three-State Study (Scarr et al., 1994) was conducted in Georgia, Mas-
sachusetts, and Virginia, three states that varied in child care regulations. The
sample consisted of 120 centers that included randomly selected programs from
national chains, with nearby nonprofit programs, local for-profit centers, and church
sponsored centers situated. Each program was observed during a single full-day
visit that included observations of an infant classroom, a toddler classroom, and a
preschool classroom. A total of 718 children (176 infants, 291 toddlers, and 251
preschoolers) were observed at the centers. Mothers and fathers completed ques-
tionnaires about the study child's problem behaviors, as well as information about
family income, education, parenting attitudes, and parenting stress.
4. The National Day Care Study
The National Day Care Study (Ruopp et al., 1979) included a quasi-experi-
ment that was conducted at 49 publicly funded centers in three cities (Atlanta, Geor-
gia; Detroit, Michigan; and Seattle, Washington) and a random assignment experi-
ment that was conducted in eight centers (29 classrooms). In the quasi-experiment,
ratios were improved in some centers, high ratios were maintained in some centers,
and low ratios were maintained in other centers. In the experiment, classrooms
were assigned to one of three levels of staff education (master's degree, completed
2-year training program, had not completed 2-year training) and one of two ratios
(5:1 versus 7:1). Outcomes included observed teacher and child behavior at the
centers and child performance on standardized cognitive assessments.
5. Family and Relative Care Study
This study was conducted in three communities (San Fernando Valley, Cali-
fornia; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Dallas, Texas) that differed in the stringency of
their child care home licensing regulations (Kontos et al., 1995). Participants were
identified from random digit phone calls, birth records, and referrals for child care
providers. A total of 820 families and 226 child care homes and providers of relative
care were contacted. The final sample of children consisted of 145 cases (35 per-
cent ethnic minority, 54.7 percent low or very low income) in which both mother and
provider agreed to participate. Three-hour observations were conducted at each
home by trained field staff, and quality of care was assessed using the Family Day
Care Rating Scale (FDCRS).
6. The National Child Care Staffing Study (NCCSS)
The National Child Care Staffing Study (NCCSS) was conducted in 1988 in
227 centers in five metropolitan areas in the United States (Atlanta, Georgia; Bos-
ton, Massachusetts; Detroit, Michigan; Phoenix, Arizona; and Seattle, Washing-
ton). Approximately 45 centers were randomly selected from the licensed full-day
programs in each city. In each center, an infant, toddler, and preschool classroom
was randomly selected, and two teachers in these classrooms (six per center; total
number of teachers = 1,309) were interviewed about their training, education,
wages, experience, and personal background. The selected classrooms also were
observed by the research staff, who rated process quality using the Early Child-
hood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS), the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating
Scale (ITERS), and the Arnett Scale of teacher sensitivity.
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102 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
tional functions. We then examine the effects of different types of child
care during middle childhood.
CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ADVANCES
Various aspects of child care have informed the advances of researchers
working to understand the effects of child care on the cognitive and social
functioning of children.
Relationship Among Contextual Factors
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (1979, 1989; Brofenbrenner
and Morris, 1998) has guided much of the research by developmental
psychologists who study child care effects (see NICHD Early Child Care
Research Network, 1994; Vandell and Posner, 1999). A key element of the
theory is a framework of nested relations among contextual factors, which
are conceptualized as microsystems, mesosystems, and exosystems. A
microsystem is described as "a pattern of activities, roles, and interpersonal
relations experienced by the developing person in a given setting with par-
ticular physical and material characteristics" (Bronfenbrenner, 1979:22).
Consistent with the formulation, child care researchers have developed
detailed descriptions of children's activities, roles, and interpersonal rela-
tions at centers and day care homes, and with nannies and grandparents
(see Clarke-Stewart, Gruber, and Fitzgerald, 1994; Howes, 1983; NICHD
Early Child Care Research Network, 1996, 2000a). These descriptions
proved instrumental in the development of measures that distinguish high-
quality and low-quality care.
Bronfenbrenner conceptualizes the mesosystem as "the interrelations
among two or more settings in which the developing person actively partici-
pates, such as, for a child, the relations among home, school, and neighbor-
hood peer group" (1979:25), and this also has influenced research in this
area. One child care and family linkage that has been extensively investi-
gated is families' selection of care arrangements. In some cases, selection
reflects active decision making, which occurs when parents visit several
providers and then select one. In other cases, parents may use an arrange-
ment because it is the only one that they can afford, even if they have
concerns about it. The critical point is that family preferences and circum-
stances influence the particular care that children receive.
Child care and the family also are interconnected because child care
may affect family functioning. An example of such effects was reported in
the Wisconsin Family and Work Project. Early and extensive child care was
related to maternal and paternal emotional well-being (Vandell et al., 1997).
Increases in maternal and paternal depression, anger, and anxiety were
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 103
found in parents whose infants were in full-time child care during the first
four months, but not in parents whose children were not in early and
extensive child care.
These associations between child care and the family highlight a chal-
lenge for child care research, namely, to distinguish between aspects of the
family that influence placement into care and aspects of the family that
change in response to child care. Only the former reflect selection differ-
ences, whereas the latter may be indicative of changes in family functioning
that mediate child care effects. Longitudinal studies have begun to track
the interplay between child care and the family over time.
Bronfenbrenner conceptualizes the exosystem as "one or more set-
tings that do not involve the developing person as an active participant,
but in which events occur that affect, or are affected by, what happens
in the setting containing the developing person" (1979:25), and this also
has guided research about child care. For example, as discussed earlier,
the mother's work environment (her schedule, working conditions, etc.)
has implications for the child's development even if the child is not
typically cared for at the mother's work site (Hoffman and Youngblade,
1999). Such effects are consistent with the conceptualization of the
exosystem.
Multidimensional Aspects of Child Care
A second advance that has occurred in child care research since the
mid-1980s is the move from simple comparisons of day care versus no day
care to studies that focused on quality, quantity, and type of child care (see
Lamb, 1998, for a comprehensive review). Studies of child care quality
have asked whether structural and caregiver characteristics as well as more
process-oriented indicators of caregiving are related to child developmental
outcomes. Studies of child care quantity have asked if cumulative hours in
child care as well as when care begins are related to child outcomes. Type-
of-care studies have primarily focused on the effects of center care, al-
though some research has considered the effects of child care homes, nan-
nies, and relatives on child outcomes.
A limitation of much of the research in this area is that these three
aspects of care (quality, type, and quantity) have been studied in isolation,
that is, without consideration of the other aspects. Thus, quantity of care
has been investigated without consideration of the quality of care, and
quality of care was studied without consideration of quantity. Findings in
these studies are sometimes difficult to interpret because it is not possible to
rule out alternative explanations for purported effects (Phillips et al., 1987a;
Vandell and Corasaniti, 1990). Several recent projects, described below,
have sought to disentangle effects associated with quality, amount, and
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104 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
type of care by including measures of all three aspects of care in their design
and analyses.
Multiplicity of Child Care Arrangements
A third advance is the recognition that children in the United States
often have multiple child care arrangements, both simultaneously and se-
quentially (see Chapter 3). This multiplicity of arrangements means that
researchers have needed to collect information about child care over time
and include secondary and tertiary arrangements as well as the primary
arrangement. Otherwise, key aspects of these arrangements may not be
measured adequately.
Surveys such as the National Child Care Survey and the National
Household Education Survey have asked parents to report both primary
and secondary arrangements, and the Survey of Income and Program Par-
ticipation (SIPP) asks parents to report all child care arrangements used by
each child. The NICHD Study of Early Child Care obtained reports from
mothers every three to four months to document the types and amount of
care that were used.
Correlational Versus Experimental Designs
Although research examining the effects of high-quality center-based
interventions on children from low-income families (e.g., Ramey et al., in
press) has relied on experimental and quasi-experimental designs, most of
the research examining the effects of child care quality and quantity has
used correlational designs. As is the case with any correlational study, there
are important concerns that unmeasured factors may account for reported
effects (Blau, 2001). In some cases, child care researchers have sought to
address possible selection bias by including multiple controls for family and
child characteristics (examples of such studies appear in the annex at the
end of this chapter, see Tables A5-1, A5-2, A5-3). In other cases, investiga-
tors (Blau, 2000; NICHD Early Child Care Research Network and Duncan,
2003, discussed below) have considered the robustness of findings using
other statistical methods to control for biases introduced by unobserved
factors.
Characteristics of the Child
A final advance reflected in much of the recent research is the recogni-
tion that child characteristics also may influence placement in child care. A
long line of scholarship has shown that children (and parents) actively seek
out environments that are consistent with children's maturity, interests, and
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 105
skills (Scarr and McCartney, 1983). For child care researchers, the issue is
whether children with particular characteristics, dispositions, or skills are
more likely to be placed in some settings and not others, and if these
selection differences account for the observed findings.
In some instances, it is relatively easy to identify child characteristics that
affect placement. Placement based on age, for example, is easy to determine;
infants are more likely to be placed in relative care, whereas preschoolers are
more likely to be placed in centers. Identifying child dispositions and compe-
tencies that influence placement in early child care is more difficult, because
of the absence of reliable and robust measures of social and cognitive func-
tioning for young infants that can be obtained before they begin child care.
In several reports, the NICHD investigators used maternal reports of child
temperament collected at 6 months of age as an indicator of child disposition,
but by 6 months, 75 percent of the children had already been in care for 3
months (or half their lifetime). Measures of child functioning obtained after
care begins may reflect the effects of that care and thus may not be measures
of child selection. Measuring child adjustment and functioning for older
children is more feasible because there are numerous psychometrically strong
measures of social and cognitive functioning that are appropriate for
preschoolers and young school-age children.
QUALITY OF EARLY CHILD CARE
In this section, we consider the research evidence pertaining to the
effects of child care quality on developmental outcomes. First, we describe
how quality is measured, focusing on measures of process quality, struc-
tural characteristics, and caregiver characteristics. Next, a model is pre-
sented that describes the interactions among various dimensions of child
care experiences. This model has guided much research on the effects of
child care quality on children's developmental outcomes. Three sets of
research findings related to this model are explored. These include: (1)
relations between structural characteristics and process quality, (2) rela-
tions between process quality and child outcomes, and (3) relations be-
tween structural measures and child outcomes. Both concurrent and longer
term associations are presented.
Measuring Child Care Quality
Process quality refers to the kinds of experiences that children have
with caregivers and other children, opportunities for cognitive, linguistic,
and social stimulation, and opportunities to use interesting and varied ma-
terials. Process quality is typically assessed by trained personnel who
observe the arrangement for an extended period of time. Particular expe-
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106 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
riences are evaluated because developmental theory and research have iden-
tified them as important for children's healthy development. There are
several robust measures of process quality that have been used by research-
ers. Each of these measures is designed to serve somewhat different pur-
poses. All of these measures are strong measures that have particular uses
and strengths.
One of the most commonly used measures of process quality is the
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) (Harms and Clifford,
1989), an instrument used to assess center-based care for preschool-age
children. It consists of 37 items and evaluates 7 areas: personal care rou-
tines, furnishings, language reasoning experiences, motor activities, creative
activities, social development, and staff needs. Detailed descriptors are
provided for each item, which is rated on a scale from 1 to 7 in which 1 =
inadequate, 3 = minimal, 5 = good, and 7 = excellent. Ratings are com-
pleted after at least two hours of observation in a classroom.
The Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) (Harms et al.,
1990) is a related measure for use in classrooms serving children under the
age of 21/2 years. The Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) rates process
quality in child care homes (Harms and Clifford, 1989), and the School-
Aged Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) is appropriate for before-
school and after-school programs serving school-age children. All of these
measures have good internal consistency, and field staff can be trained to
use them fairly easily
The Observational Record of the Caregiving Environment (ORCE) was
developed by the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (1996,
2000a) to assess all types of child care settings. Age-appropriate versions
are available for children ages 6 months to 5 years.1 Observers complete
both time-sample behavioral counts and qualitative ratings during a series
of 44-minute observation cycles collected over a 2-day period. The ob-
server records the frequency or amount of specific caregiver behaviors, such
as responds to child vocalization and asks questions, and makes qualitative
four-point ratings of caregiver sensitivity to the child's needs, cognitive
stimulation, positive regard for the child, emotional detachment, and nega-
tive regard. The positive caregiving composite score is the mean of the
qualitative scales, after reflecting the ratings of detachment and negative
regard.
Annex Table A5-4 provides the distribution of child care quality (cat-
egorized as poor, fair, good, excellent) that was derived from positive
caregiving composite scores of the ORCE in the NICHD Study of Early
Child Care. In these analyses, poor quality care was defined as a composite
1 Coding manuals, including detailed descriptions of scales at each age, can be found at
http://secc.rti.org.
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 107
score of less than 2, fair quality care as a score of 2 or more, but less than
3, good quality care was a score between 3 and 3.5, and excellent quality
care was a score of 3.5 or higher. Because there is no nationally represen-
tative study that has assessed process quality in the United States, the
observations from the NICHD study and other multisite studies (described
in Annex Table A5-2) are the only available estimates of process quality in
the United States. In the NICHD study, 7 percent of the settings observed
were of poor quality and 12 percent were of excellent quality. Most of the
settings provided care that was only of fair quality. In Chapter 3 we
estimated the process quality of child care from these studies.
As shown in Annex Table A5-4, children in low-income families were
more likely than children in high-income families to receive poor-quality
child care: 11 percent of the low-income children compared with 4 percent
of the high-income children. Children in low-income families also were less
likely than children in high-income families to receive excellent quality
child care: 8 percent of low-income children compared with 15 percent of
high-income children. Disparities in quality associated with family income
were more evident in child care homes and informal care arrangements
than in centers, perhaps because children in low-income families have ac-
cess to publicly supported programs such as Head Start.
It is likely that these observations overestimate the amount of high-
quality care and underestimate the amount of poor-quality care. Informal
care settings and settings that serve children from low-income families were
more likely to refuse to participate in the observations, and outcomes are
lower for children whose care was not observed even after controlling for
an extensive array of family covariates (NICHD Early Child Care Research
Network and Duncan, 2003). The sample in the NICHD Study also did
not include some groups of children (e.g., children of adolescent mothers,
mothers who do not speak English, and mothers who were known sub-
stance abusers).
Other measures of process quality are the Caregiver Interaction Scale
(Arnett, 1989), which focuses on teachers' sensitivity during interactions with
children, and the CC-HOME scale, which assesses overall quality of child
care homes (Clarke-Stewart et al., 2002). All of these measures have excel-
lent psychometric properties and predict child developmental outcomes.
Another approach to the assessment of child care quality is consider-
ation of structural characteristics, such as child-adult ratio, and caregiver
characteristics, such as caregivers' specialized training as indicators of child
care quality. Structural-caregiver characteristics are the only indicators of
quality in studies such as the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the
National Child Care Survey (Hofferth et al., 1991), and the National House-
hold Education Survey (Hofferth et al., 1998). Both structural-caregiver
characteristics and process quality measures were collected in the NICHD
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108 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
Study of Early Child Care, in the Cost, Quality and Outcome Study, and
the Child Care Staffing Study.
Structural-Caregiver Characteristics,
Process Quality, and Child Outcomes
The conceptual model that has guided much of the research on the
effects of child care quality on children's developmental outcomes is shown
in Figure 5-1 (Blau, 2001; Lamb, 1998; NICHD Early Child Care Research
Network, 2002b; Vandell and Wolfe, 2000). This schema posits that pro-
cess quality is directly related to child developmental outcomes, whereas
structural-caregiver characteristics are posited to affect child outcomes in-
directly through their impact on process quality. In this model, appropriate
structural-caregiver characteristics are seen as providing necessary, but not
sufficient, conditions for high-quality care. Also reflected in the model is
the recognition of the importance of family factors for child developmental
outcomes and selection into child care.
For the most part, individual studies (see Annex Tables 5-1, 5-2, and 5-
3) have focused on one or another component of the overall model, while
positing that the other pathways exist. One report, however, has formally
tested the overall model (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network,
2002b). In that study, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test
relations between structural-caregiver characteristics and process quality as
predictors of child developmental outcomes. Two main findings were
found: (1) process quality measured by the ORCE predicted children's
cognitive competence and social competence at 41/2 years, controlling for
Family Structure Family Process
Child Outcome
Structural-Caregiver
Process Quality
Characteristics
FIGURE 5-1 A conceptual model of relations among structural-caregiver chateris-
tics, process quality, and child outcomes.
SOURCE: Blau (2001).
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 109
family income, maternal education, and parenting quality; and (2) there
was a connection between structural qualities such as caregiver training and
child-staff ratio and cognitive competence and social competence that was
not accounted for by family variables. As noted above, other research
studies have focused on one or another pathway in the overall model. In
the following sections, we review these studies, starting with studies that
consider relations between structural-caregiver characteristics and process
quality. Then we examine research pertaining to process quality and child
developmental outcomes. Finally, we consider relations between struc-
tural-caregiver characteristics and child developmental outcomes.
Structural-Caregiver Characteristics and Process Quality
Blau (2001) and Vandell and Wolfe (2000) reviewed the research ex-
amining associations between structural-caregiver characteristics and pro-
cess quality. (These studies also are summarized in Annex Table A5-1.)
Four structural-caregiver characteristics--child-adult ratio, group size, spe-
cialized training, and general education level--have been the focus of much
of the research. Although early research studies were criticized for various
methodological limitations (small samples, single site, simple bivariate
analyses), recent research (Burchinal et al., 2002; NICHD Early Child Care
Research Network, 1997b, 2000a) has examined relations between struc-
tural-caregiver characteristics and process quality using multivariate tech-
niques, multiple study sites, and large samples.
As shown in Annex Table A5-1, many studies have reported associa-
tions between child-adult ratios and process quality. When child-adult
ratios are lower, caregivers spend less time managing children in their
classrooms, children are less apathetic and distressed (Ruopp et al., 1979),
and caregivers are more stimulating, responsive, warm, and supportive
(Clarke-Stewart et al., 1994; NICHD Early Child Care Research Network,
1996, 2000a; Phillipsen et al., 1997). Lower child-adult ratios also are
associated with higher process quality scores on the ECERS and the ORCE
(NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 1996, 2002b,c). For the
most part, these findings are derived from correlational research designs,
although one study (Ruopp et al., 1979) used a random assignment experi-
mental design to assess the effects of varying child-adult ratios.
The number of children in the group (or group size) also is associated
with process quality. In multivariate analyses that included ratio, group
size, caregiver training, and caregiver education, caregivers appeared more
responsive, more socially stimulating, and less restrictive when there were
fewer children in the group (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network,
1996, 2000a; Ruopp et al., 1979). Process quality is higher in child care
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 167
Other Child Family Child Developmental
Care Measures Controls Outcomesc Quality Findings
Age of entry, Maternal education, Academic progress Controlling for family
length of day, family structure, (1st grade characteristics, higher
number of maternal CG report) quality predicted better
different employment CBP: (behavior academic skills (for boys),
arrangements problems, school better social skills for both
skills) girls and boys, and fewer
behavior problems in both
girls and boys.
Smaller number of
arrangements better
academic skills for boys and
girls.
Family social, family CBCL Process quality
structure, child age CBI (longitudinal), age
partialled out. Preschool:
CG involvement/investment
observed social play,
social pretend play, positive
affect, less CG rate difficult
and hesitant. Kindergarten:
CG involvement less
parent ratings of
internalizing and
externalizing; less CG rate
of distract, hostile, higher
rate verbal IQ,
consideration.
SES PPVT-R: (receptive MANOVAs (same results
language) with no covar and with SES
SSC: (social) and PPVT cov).
Children in center care
higher on interest-
participation than children
in no care; no difference
between high- and low-
quality care.
No care effect on
cooperation-compliance.
Children in high-quality
center highest on receptive
language, followed by no
care and then low quality.
Quantity, entry Income/needs, Mother-reported Children in higher-quality
age, stability, psychological behavior problems child care during first 3
group type adjustment, child's and social years more compliant and
gender, child's competence; cooperative during
temperament caregiver report of observations; CG reported
(continued)
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168 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
TABLE A5-3 Continued
Process
Quality Structural
Citationa N Age Measureb Quality Measureb
NICHD Early 6, 15, 24, 36 Positive CG
Child Care months composite,
Research language
Network stimulation
(2000b)
NICHD Early 669 24 and 36 Positive
Child Care 612 months caregiving
Research (ORCE)
Network
(2001c)
Peisner- CQO Study: n = Preschool to ECERS
Feinberg et al. 733 in year 1; 2nd grade CIS
(2001) 499 in year 2; ECOF
399 in AIF
kindergarten,
345 in 2nd grade
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 169
Other Child Family Child Developmental
Care Measures Controls Outcomesc Quality Findings
problems; laboratory fewer behavior problems.
observations of
compliance and
negativity
Quantity, type Maternal PPVT-R, Bayley MDI , Process quality significantly
child gender, HOME Bracken School related to cognitive and
and maternal Readiness, language outcomes at 24
stimulation Macarthur CDI; and 36 months, controlling
Reynell for family factors.
Developmental
Language
Amount of time Maternal education, Mother and More positive caregiving
in CC, maternal attitude caregiver report of child more positive
available other toward employment, peer competencies; sociability at 24 months,
children child gender, observed peer lower proportion negative
cognitive/ linguistic interaction in child interaction with peers
performance at 24 care and structured observed.
and 36 months, task
maternal sensitivity
in play, maternal
psychological
adjustment, family
structure, number of
children in home
Family income, PPVT-R Higher ECERS scores
education, marital WJ-R predicted higher language
status, child's gender, CBI (classroom and math scores, but the
child's ethnicity behavior inventory) magnitude of the
STRS (teacher-child association declined over
relationship) time. A significant
interaction between
maternal education and
quality of classrooms
indicated that better quality
child care had stronger
association when mothers
had less education. Higher
quality practices were
significantly associated with
fewer problem behaviors in
Year 1, but this association
declined in subsequent years.
(continued)
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170 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
TABLE A5-3 Continued
Process
Quality Structural
Citationa N Age Measureb Quality Measureb
Pierrehumbert 47 Swiss 1-5, recruited Positive contact None
et al. (1996) 3-9 months (Ainsworth
interactive
scale)
Vandell et al. 20 Observed at 4 None C:A ratio, group
(1988) and 8 years size, space,
materials available,
CG education
Vernon-Feagans, 67 Recruited Adults present
Emanuel, and before age 1, (C:A ratio),
Blood (1997) followed until 4 group size
a For full references see the report reference list.
b Quality measures alphabetized by acronym: AIS: Adult Involvement Scale; CIS: Caregiver Interaction
Scale; ECOF: UCLA Early Childhood Observation Form; ECERS: Early Childhood Environment Rating
Scale; ECOI: Early Childhood Observation Instrument; IEOS: Instructional Environment Observation
Scales; ITERS: Infant-Toddler Environmental Scale; ORCE: Observational Record of the Caregiving
Environment; STRS: Student-Teacher Relationship Scale.
c Child developmental outcome measures alphabetized by acronym: ASBI: Adaptive Social Behavior
Inventory; ASB: Teacher Assessment of Social Behavior; BCL: Behavior Checklist; Boehm: Test of Basic
Skills; BPI: Behavior Problems Index; BRS: Behavior Rating Scale; BSQ: Behavior Screening Questionnaire;
Buck I/E Scale: Buck Internalizer/Externalizer Scale; CBCL: Child Behavior Checklist; CBI: Child Behavior
Inventory; CBP: Child Behavior Profile; CTBS: Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills; MacArthur CDI:
OCR for page 99
EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 171
Other Child Family Child Developmental
Care Measures Controls Outcomesc Quality Findings
SES, child gender, Developmental Attach security, SES, and
attachment with Quotients positive contact with CG
mother, positive WPPSI predicted increase in
contact with mother CBCL cognitive index between 2
and 5 years.
Family structure, age PRS Controlling for social class,
of entry in full-time Harter PCS positive interaction with
care, family social Parent ratings adults at 4 years was
class socioemotional related to more competent
adjust (Santrock behavior at 8 years.
and Warshak) Aimless wandering at 4
years was related to less
social competence at 8
years.
SICD: (receptive and Children in high-quality
expressive language) centers better expressive
language and receptive
language.
Communication Development Inventory; MDI: Mental Development Index (Bayley II); MSCA: McCartney
Scale of Children's Abilities; ORCE: Observational Record of the Caregiving Environment; PBQ: Pre-
school Behavior Questionnaire; PEI: Parent as Educator Interview; PIAT: Peabody Individual Achievement
Test; PPS: Peer Play Scale; PPVT-R: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised; PRS: Peer Relations Scale;
RCSA: Rutter Child Scales (A and B); SCS: Social Competence Scale; SICD: Sequence Inventory of Com-
munication Development; SRA: Science Research Associates Achievement Battery; TBQ: Toddler Behavior
Questionnaire; WJ-R: Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-Revised; CG = caregiver; ECE = early
childhood education; C:A ratio = child:adult ratio; CC: child care; DC = day care; SES = socioeconomic
status.
NOTE: Vandell and Wolfe (2000) was the source for articles published prior to 2000.
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172 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
TABLE A5-4 Distribution of Child Care Quality by Type of Care and
Family Income
For All Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
Nonparental Care N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
6 months (n = 471)
Poor quality 11 (13) 14 (9) 12 (5) 37 (8)
Fair quality 39 (44) 67 (41) 89 (40) 195 (41)
Good quality 31 (35) 60 (37) 74 (33) 165 (35)
Excellent quality 7 (8) 21 (13) 46 (21) 74 (16)
15 months (n = 494)
Poor quality 10 (9) 15 (9) 14 (6) 39 (8)
Fair quality 59 (55) 74 (45) 96 (43) 229 (46)
Good quality 27 (25) 55 (34) 76 (34) 158 (32)
Excellent quality 11 (10) 19 (12) 38 (17) 68 (14)
24 months (n = 537)
Poor quality 13 (13) 30 (15) 10 (4) 53 (10)
Fair quality 62 (63) 99 (51) 126 (52) 287 (53)
Good quality 19 (19) 49 (25) 76 (31) 144 (27)
Excellent quality 5 (5) 17 (9) 31 (13) 53 (10)
36 months (n = 587)
Poor quality 11 (7) 9 (5) 6 (2) 26 (4)
Fair quality 102 (67) 122 (65) 134 (54) 358 (61)
Good quality 36 (24) 50 (26) 87 (35) 173 (29)
Excellent quality 3 (2) 8 (4) 19 (7) 30 (5)
54 months (n = 795)
Poor quality 25 (12) 21 (7) 12 (4) 58 (7)
Fair quality 90 (44) 142 (46) 112 (40) 344 (43)
Good quality 65 (32) 96 (31) 113 (40) 274 (34)
Excellent quality 26 (13) 48 (16) 45 (16) 119 (15)
Overall (n = 2,884)
Poor quality 70 (11) 89 (9) 54 (4) 213 (7)
Fair quality 352 (54) 504 (50) 557 (46) 1,413 (49)
Good quality 178 (27) 310 (31) 426 (35) 914 (32)
Excellent quality 52 (8) 113 (11) 179 (15) 344 (12)
TOTAL 652 1,016 1,216 2,884
Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
For Father Care N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
6 months (n = 87)
Poor quality 1 (6) 1 (2) 0 2 (2)
Fair quality 5 (29) 18 (38) 4 (18) 27 (31)
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 173
TABLE A5-4 Continued
Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
For Father Care N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
Good quality 8 (47) 18 (38) 13 (59) 39 (45)
Excellent quality 3 (18) 11 (23) 5 (23) 19 (22)
15 months (n = 107)
Poor quality 1 (3) 5 (11) 0 6 (6)
Fair quality 15 (45) 13 (28) 11 (41) 39 (36)
Good quality 12 (36) 18 (38) 7 (26) 37 (35)
Excellent quality 5 (15) 11 (23) 9 (33) 25 (23)
24 months (n = 89)
Poor quality 2 (8) 2 (6) 0 4 (4)
Fair quality 15 (60) 16 (44) 10 (36) 41 (46)
Good quality 4 (16) 13 (36) 11 (39) 28 (31)
Excellent quality 4 (16) 5 (14) 7 (25) 16 (18)
36 months (n = 83)
Poor quality 3 (9) 2 (6) 0 5 (6)
Fair quality 21 (62) 12 (36) 8 (50) 41 (49)
Good quality 10 (29) 16 (49) 3 (19) 29 (35)
Excellent quality 0 3 (9) 5 (31) 8 (10)
54 months (n = 36)
Poor quality 4 (27) 2 (13) 1 (20) 7 (19)
Fair quality 8 (53) 7 (44) 1 (20) 16 (44)
Good quality 2 (13) 6 (38) 3 (60) 11 (31)
Excellent quality 1 (7) 1 ( 6) 0 2 (6)
Overall (n = 402)
Poor quality 11 (9) 12 (7) 1 (1) 24 (6)
Fair quality 64 (52) 66 (37) 34 (35) 164 (41)
Good quality 36 (29) 71 (39) 37 (38) 144 (36)
Excellent quality 13 (10) 31 (17) 26 (27) 70 (17)
TOTAL 124 180 98 402
Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
For Grandparents N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
6 months (n = 94)
Poor quality 0 0 0 0
Fair quality 7 (33) 6 (16) 6 (17) 19 (20)
Good quality 10 (48) 22 (59) 15 (42) 47 (50)
Excellent quality 4 (19) 9 (24) 15 (42) 28 (30)
(continued)
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174 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
TABLE A5-4 Continued
Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
For Grandparents N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
15 months (n = 77)
Poor quality 1 (4) 2 (7) 1 (4) 4 (5)
Fair quality 12 (48) 6 (21) 3 (13) 21 (27)
Good quality 9 (36) 14 (48) 10 (43) 33 (43)
Excellent quality 3 (12) 7 (24) 9 (39) 19 (25)
24 months (n = 66)
Poor quality 1 (5) 2 (8) 0 3 (5)
Fair quality 13 (68) 6 (23) 5 (24) 24 (36)
Good quality 3 (16) 14 (54) 13 (62) 30 (45)
Excellent quality 2 (11) 4 (15) 3 (14) 9 (14)
36 months (n = 61)
Poor quality 3 (12) 0 0 3 (5)
Fair quality 15 (58) 8 (44) 12 (71) 35 (57)
Good quality 7 (27) 8 (44) 3 (18) 18 (30)
Excellent quality 1 (4) 2 (11) 2 (12) 5 (8)
54 months (n = 34)
Poor quality 1 (6) 0 1 (14) 2 (6)
Fair quality 8 (50) 8 (73) 2 (29) 18 (53)
Good quality 6 (38) 2 (18) 3 (43) 11 (32)
Excellent quality 1 (6) 1 (9) 1 (14) 3 (9)
Overall (n = 332)
Poor quality 6 (6) 4 (3) 2 (2) 12 (4)
Fair quality 55 (51) 34 (28) 28 (27) 117 (35)
Good quality 35 (33) 60 (50) 44 (42) 139 (42)
Excellent quality 11 (10) 23 (19) 30 (29) 64 (19)
TOTAL 107 121 104 332
For in-Home Care
(not parents or Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
grandparents) N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
6 months (n = 83)
Poor quality 1 (6) 1 (8) 3 (6) 5 (6)
Fair quality 9 (56) 5 (38) 13 (24) 27 (33)
Good quality 5 (31) 4 (31) 22 (41) 31 (37)
Excellent quality 1 (6) 3 (23) 16 (30) 20 (24)
15 months (n = 95)
Poor quality 1 (7) 0 2 (3) 3 (3)
Fair quality 11 (73) 10 (48) 17 (29) 38 (40)
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 175
TABLE A5-4 Continued
For in-Home Care
(not parents or Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
grandparents) N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
Good quality 2 (13) 7 (33) 25 (42) 34 (36)
Excellent quality 1 (7) 4 (19) 15 (25) 20 (21)
24 months (n = 78)
Poor quality 3 (23) 3 (19) 0 6 (8)
Fair quality 7 (54) 6 (38) 16 (33) 29 (37)
Good quality 2 (15) 4 (25) 19 (39) 25 (32)
Excellent quality 1 (8) 3 (19) 14 (29) 18 (23)
36 months (n = 66)
Poor quality 2 (18) 0 1 (2) 3 (5)
Fair quality 8 (73) 6 (50) 14 (33) 28 (42)
Good quality 1 (9 ) 5 (42) 21 (49) 27 (41)
Excellent quality 0 1 (8) 7 (16) 8 (12)
54 months (n = 16)
Poor quality 1 (20) 0 1 (13) 2 (13)
Fair quality 3 (60) 3 (10) 5 (63) 11 (69)
Good quality 0 0 2 (25) 2 (13)
Excellent quality 1 (20) 0 0 1 (6)
Overall (n = 338)
Poor quality 8 (13) 4 (6) 7 (3) 19 (6)
Fair quality 38 (63) 30 (46) 65 (31) 133 (39)
Good quality 10 (17) 20 (31) 89 (42) 119 (35)
Excellent quality 4 (7) 11 (17) 52 (24) 67 (20)
TOTAL 60 65 213 338
For Child Care Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
Homes N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
6 months (n = 192)
Poor quality 7 (18) 5 (7) 7 (9) 19 (10)
Fair quality 19 (48) 34 (46) 37 (47) 90 (47)
Good quality 13 (33) 26 (35) 23 (30) 62 (32)
Excellent quality 1 (3) 9 (12) 11 (14) 21 (11)
15 months (n = 197)
Poor quality 5 (11) 5 (7) 5 (6) 15 (8)
Fair quality 23 (51) 34 (47) 33 (41) 90 (46)
Good quality 13 (29) 26 (36) 29 (36) 68 (35)
Excellent quality 4 (9) 7 (10) 13 (16) 24 (12)
(continued)
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176 WORKING FAMILIES AND GROWING KIDS
TABLE A5-4 Continued
For Child Care Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
Homes N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
24 months (n = 210)
Poor quality 5 (14) 10 (12) 4 (5) 19 (9)
Fair quality 21 (57) 44 (52) 45 (51) 110 (52)
Good quality 9 (24) 23 (27) 29 (33) 61 (29)
Excellent quality 2 (5) 8 (9) 10 (11) 20 (10)
36 months (n = 168)
Poor quality 3 (7) 1 (2) 1 (2) 5 (3)
Fair quality 31 (72) 47 (76) 30 (48) 108 (64)
Good quality 7 (16) 12 (19) 28 (44) 47 (28)
Excellent quality 2 (5) 2 (3) 4 (6) 8 (5)
54 months (n = 76)
Poor quality 9 (41) 3 (9) 1 (5) 13 (17)
Fair quality 7 (32) 20 (57) 13 (68) 40 (53)
Good quality 4 (18) 7 (20) 3 (16) 14 (18)
Excellent quality 2 (9) 5 (14) 2 (11) 9 (12)
Overall (n = 843)
Poor quality 29 (16) 24 (7) 18 (5) 71 (8)
Fair quality 101 (54) 179 (55) 158 (48) 438 (52)
Good quality 46 (25) 94 (29) 112 (34) 252 (30)
Excellent quality 11 (6) 31 (9) 40 (12) 82 (10)
TOTAL 187 328 328 843
For Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
Centers N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
6 months (n = 102)
Poor quality 3 (27) 8 (21) 2 (4) 13 (13)
Fair quality 4 (36) 22 (58) 33 (62) 59 (58)
Good quality 3 (27) 8 (21) 14 (26) 25 (25)
Excellent quality 1 (9) 0 4 (8) 5 (5)
15 months (n = 125)
Poor quality 3 (14) 8 (20) 6 (10) 17 (14)
Fair quality 13 (59) 24 (59) 43 (69) 80 (64)
Good quality 3 (14) 8 (20) 12 (19) 23 (18)
Excellent quality 3 (14) 1 (2) 1 (2) 5 (4)
24 months (n = 183)
Poor quality 4 (13) 15 (22) 6 (7) 25 (14)
Fair quality 21 (70) 43 (63) 60 (71) 124 (68)
Good quality 5 (17) 8 (12) 15 (18) 28 (15)
Excellent quality 0 2 (3) 4 (5) 6 (3)
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EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE 177
TABLE A5-4 Continued
For Low Income Moderate Income High Income Overall
Centers N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)
36 months (n = 292)
Poor quality 3 (4) 8 (8) 4 (3) 15 (5)
Fair quality 48 (67) 61 (63) 78 (63) 187 (64)
Good quality 21 (29) 25 (26) 35 (28) 81 (28)
Excellent quality 0 3 (3) 6 (5) 9 (3)
54 months (n = 669)
Poor quality 14 (9) 18 (7) 9 (4) 41 (6)
Fair quality 72 (44) 111 (43) 92 (37) 275 (41)
Good quality 55 (34) 87 (34) 10 (42) 247 (37)
Excellent quality 22 (14) 42 (16) 42 (17) 106 (16)
Overall (n = 1371)
Poor quality 27 (9) 57 (11) 27 (5) 111 (8)
Fair quality 158 (53) 261 (52) 306 (54) 725 (53)
Good quality 87 (29) 136 (27) 181 (32) 404 (29)
Excellent quality 26 (9) 48 (10) 57 (10) 131 (10)
TOTAL 298 502 571 1,371
xx