According to a recent survey, fully 58% of children who are
5 years or younger are in nonparental arrangements on a regular basis,
including infant care centers, Head Start, relative care, family day care homes, and nanny
care. Child care becomes especially common by the later preschool years, when
76% of 4-year-olds and 83% of 5-year-olds are in some form of nonparental care.
However, several recent studies have suggested that the quality of this care is
highly variable. Structural adjustable
characteristics are aspects of infant care settings such as group size,
child–adult ratio, caregiver education,
and caregiver training that might be subject to regulation by communities or states.
Child care processes are the experiences that children have in child care
settings, including interactions with caregivers and peers and opportunities to
participate in different activities.
5 years or younger are in nonparental arrangements on a regular basis,
including infant care centers, Head Start, relative care, family day care homes, and nanny
care. Child care becomes especially common by the later preschool years, when
76% of 4-year-olds and 83% of 5-year-olds are in some form of nonparental care.
However, several recent studies have suggested that the quality of this care is
highly variable. Structural adjustable
characteristics are aspects of infant care settings such as group size,
child–adult ratio, caregiver education,
and caregiver training that might be subject to regulation by communities or states.
Child care processes are the experiences that children have in child care
settings, including interactions with caregivers and peers and opportunities to
participate in different activities.
In a recent comprehensive review of infant care research that
was published last year, we examined numerous studies that looked at relations
between process measures of child care quality and children's developmental
outcomes. With respect to infant care, we concluded that high-quality day care
clearly has positive effects on children's intellectual, verbal, and cognitive development, especially when
children would otherwise experience impoverished and relatively unstimulating
home environments. Care of unknown quality may have deleterious effects. In
terms of care for older preschool children, we concluded that center-based day
care, presumably of high quality, can have positive effects on children's intellectual development, regardless of
family background, and does not seem to have negative effects on any groups of
children. Structural adjustable characteristics
of child care settings have been shown to be associated with children's
academic, cognitive, behavioral, and social development. Some of the most
robust associations in the child care literature are those between structural adjustable characteristics and process
quality.
was published last year, we examined numerous studies that looked at relations
between process measures of child care quality and children's developmental
outcomes. With respect to infant care, we concluded that high-quality day care
clearly has positive effects on children's intellectual, verbal, and cognitive development, especially when
children would otherwise experience impoverished and relatively unstimulating
home environments. Care of unknown quality may have deleterious effects. In
terms of care for older preschool children, we concluded that center-based day
care, presumably of high quality, can have positive effects on children's intellectual development, regardless of
family background, and does not seem to have negative effects on any groups of
children. Structural adjustable characteristics
of child care settings have been shown to be associated with children's
academic, cognitive, behavioral, and social development. Some of the most
robust associations in the child care literature are those between structural adjustable characteristics and process
quality.
Recent research provides strong indications that infant care
quality in both structural adjustable
and process terms has significant and positive effects on children's cognitive development, language skills, social
competence, behavioral adjustment, and work habits. Each of these adjustment
indicators plays a role in children's readiness
to learn and ability to profit from instruction. Furthermore, recent
longitudinal research demonstrates that infant care quality during the infant
and preschool years continues to have positive effects on children's success at
school and academic progress into the early elementary years. One of the challenges
for future research is further consideration of the effects of child care
quality over time in conjunction with the quality
of school classroom environments that children experience subsequent to infant
care. Another challenge for future research is to test a mediational model of
the influence of the components of infant care quality on children's development.
It is likely that structural adjustable
factors exert their influence by altering the quality of the care provided to
children. Tests of a full mediation model should be conducted, the results of
which may allow us to draw firm conclusions about how best to improve child
care quality so that all children can benefit developmentally from their
experiences in these settings. Given the knowledge that is available at this
point in time, child care programs should strive to meet the recommendations of
organizations such as the American
Public Health Association. These guidelines include a child-staff ratio of
3:1 in infant/toddler classrooms and 6:1 in preschool rooms, and maximum group
sizes of six children in infant/toddler classrooms and 14 children in preschool
rooms.
quality in both structural adjustable
and process terms has significant and positive effects on children's cognitive development, language skills, social
competence, behavioral adjustment, and work habits. Each of these adjustment
indicators plays a role in children's readiness
to learn and ability to profit from instruction. Furthermore, recent
longitudinal research demonstrates that infant care quality during the infant
and preschool years continues to have positive effects on children's success at
school and academic progress into the early elementary years. One of the challenges
for future research is further consideration of the effects of child care
quality over time in conjunction with the quality
of school classroom environments that children experience subsequent to infant
care. Another challenge for future research is to test a mediational model of
the influence of the components of infant care quality on children's development.
It is likely that structural adjustable
factors exert their influence by altering the quality of the care provided to
children. Tests of a full mediation model should be conducted, the results of
which may allow us to draw firm conclusions about how best to improve child
care quality so that all children can benefit developmentally from their
experiences in these settings. Given the knowledge that is available at this
point in time, child care programs should strive to meet the recommendations of
organizations such as the American
Public Health Association. These guidelines include a child-staff ratio of
3:1 in infant/toddler classrooms and 6:1 in preschool rooms, and maximum group
sizes of six children in infant/toddler classrooms and 14 children in preschool
rooms.
