Child care quality matters: how conclusions may vary with context.
Three studies examined associations between early child care and child outcomes among families different from those in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network study. Results suggest that quality is an important influence on children's development and may be an important moderator of the amount of time in care. Thus, the generalizability of the NICHD findings may hinge on the context in which those results were obtained. These studies, conducted in three national contexts, with different regulatory climates, ranges of child care quality, and a diversity of family characteristics, suggest a need for more complete estimates of how both quality and quantity of child care may influence a range of young children's developmental outcomes.
Love
John M
JM
Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
Harrison
Linda
L
Sagi-Schwartz
Abraham
A
van IJzendoorn
Marinus H
MH
Ross
Christine
C
Ungerer
Judy A
JA
Raikes
Helen
H
Brady-Smith
Christy
C
Boller
Kimberly
K
Brooks-Gunn
Jeanne
J
Constantine
Jill
J
Kisker
Ellen Eliason
EE
Paulsell
Diane
D
Chazan-Cohen
Rachel
R
D002654:Child Care / Q000592:standards*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000592:standards*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015397:Program Evaluation