Defining Quality Child Care: Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives

Multiple perspectives regarding the definition of quality child care, and how child care quality can be improved, were examined using a focus group methodology. Participants were representatives from stakeholder groups in the child care profession, including child care center owners and directors (3 groups), parents (3 groups), child caregivers (3 groups), policy makers (1 group), and social service providers (1 group). Qualitative analysis revealed 6 components of quality that were consistently discussed across all participant groups: (a) communication and rapport, (b) caregiver practices, (c) staff characteristics, (d) finances and resources, (e) visibility and involvement, and (f) professionalism. Analyses highlighted differences among stakeholder groups and the complex interplay among quality components. Findings are compared to previously documented perspectives on child care quality, and a conceptual model is presented that (a) summarizes findings about how proximity to child impacts definitions of quality and (b) highlights the central role played by child care center directors. Implications for child care practice and policy are discussed.     

How Stake Holder Groups Define Quality in Child Care

This paper presents definitions of child care quality from focus groups conducted to develop a research design to assess the quality of Minnesota's regulated child care system. Eleven individual interviews and 38 focus groups involving 333 people were held in communities throughout Minnesota between 1-11-00 and 6-14-00. The focus groups represented the various stake holders interested in child care quality including parents, legislators, child care staff and administrators, licensed and unlicensed family child care providers, family and center based child care licensors, child care resource and referral staff, and teacher educators. Beginning first with the traditional definition of child care quality (what is good for the child) and related quality indicators, the author presents Katz's (Multiple perspectives on the quality of early childhood programs) four dimensional definition of child care quality and the associated research investigating these dimensions. The similarities and differences in various stake holder groups' definitions of child care quality are then presented and compared with Love, Schocket, & Meckstroth's review of child care research. The paper ends with a discussion how stake holders' definitions of child care quality may inform researchers and policymakers about child care quality.     

A Mixed Methods Investigation of Maternal Perspectives on Transition Experiences in Early Care and Education

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Strong relationships among children, families, and early care and education (ECE) providers are key to quality infant–toddler care. These relationships are shaped during the initial transition period to group care. We used a mixed methods approach to (a) assess maternal perspectives on the transition to group care, (b) explore mothers’ perceptions of factors that made for easy or difficult transitions, and (c) examine associations between maternal and child characteristics and the ease of the transition. Through qualitative interviews, mothers identified factors that played a role in their child’s transition, including the child’s age, the ECE provider’s support, and the number of transitions the child experienced. For mothers, an easy transition was characterized by ease of child adjustment to group care, comfort with nonparental care and returning to work, and being able to exercise some control over the transition. Quantitative analyses revealed that an easy child transition was associated with younger child age, low maternal distress reactions to child distress, and low child social fearfulness. Higher maternal depressive symptoms and maternal distress reactions to child distress were associated with mothers having a difficult transition. Practice or Policy: Implications of the findings for ECE provider training and ECE policy development related to transitions are discussed.     

Approaches to Collaboration: Experiences of the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships

ABSTRACT

This study examined how partnerships between early care and education providers were developed and how they worked together to deliver comprehensive, high-quality services to infants and toddlers from low-income families. Survey data were collected from 220 Early Head Start (EHS) program directors and 386 child care center directors and family child care providers participating in EHS-child care partnerships. Research Findings: Nearly half of EHS programs chose partners with whom they had prior relationships, and most engaged them early (often before receiving the grant). Both EHS programs and child care providers described their relationships as mutually respectful and focused on similar goals. Through the partnerships, child care providers had access to professional development opportunities and offered children and families comprehensive services, such as health screenings. Practice or Policy: This study provided a nationally representative picture of EHS-child care partnerships. The findings suggest that strong relationships are foundational to the implementation of early care and education collaborations aimed at expanding access to high-quality care for infants and toddlers from low-income families. Collaborations are a potentially important policy lever that can help support the expansion of high-quality early care and education.     

Adult health in child care: Health status,behaviors, and concerns of teachers,directors, and family child care providers

This article reports the results of a statewide survey of health status, behaviors, and concerns of 446 randomly selected early childhood professionals (78 group child care center directors, 236 teachers, and 132 family child care providers). More than 85% of each professional group rated their health as either good or excellent; 87% have worked when ill. Twenty-five percent of the sample (33% directors, 15% staff, 36% family providers) have become pregnant since working in child care. Respondents reported being “overweight” at levels more than twice state adult frequencies. Dramatic changes were reported in perceived frequency of various symptoms and becoming ill since working in child care. Significant differences between the groups were found for number of absences due to illness, nutrition, stressfulness of working in child care, and ergonomics and physical demands of the job.     

Child Care Subsidy and Program Quality Revisited

Research Findings: Previous research has documented conflicting results on the relationship between program quality and the percentage of children receiving subsidized child care (subsidy density) in early childhood centers. This research examined the relationship between subsidy density and the quality of infant and preschool classrooms in child care centers, taking into consideration teacher education and salary as well as other structural variables associated with quality. A multimethod evaluation was conducted with 110 child care centers utilizing an interview of center directors as well as classroom observations using standardized measures of quality and language/literacy in the classroom. Regression analyses indicate that subsidy density does not predict the quality of infant classrooms. However, subsidy density is a significant predictor of the quality of preschool classrooms. Teacher education is predictive of some quality indicators, but teacher salary is not. Practice or Policy: Practice and policy implications are discussed to promote the quality of child care centers that serve low- income children. Statewide initiatives should target centers with higher subsidy density for quality improvements. Local programs and state policy should provide teachers with opportunities to obtain additional education and then offer incentives to remain in their current early childhood settings.     

Cash incentives and turnover in center-based child care staff

The current study evaluates the Workforce INcentive Project (WIN), a programmatic effort to increase child care workforce stability in center- and home-based child care providers via the provision of bi-annual cash incentives based on educational attainment. Five hundred and thirteen center-based teaching staff (304 WIN and 209 comparison) and 167 center directors (93 WIN and 74 comparison) from 179 state-licensed child care centers (99 WIN and 80 comparison) participated in the study reported. Survival analyses were conducted to compare turnover rates between the WIN group and the comparison group over a 20-month period. All analyses controlled for participant satisfaction with employment, location (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural), and, where appropriate, hourly wages. Although WIN participation was generally associated with lower rates of turnover in center-based staff, when position type, educational attainment, experience in the field, and hourly wages were considered (separately and together), WIN's relationship with turnover varied widely for directors and teaching staff. Findings are discussed in terms of past research and future cash incentive programs.     

Within and beyond the classroom door: assessing quality in child care centers

This study reports data from a multisite study of typical center-based child care and children’s development regarding (a) associations among quality of care defined by structural features, process indicators, and compliance with state regulations, (b) variation in quality based on the stringency of state child care regulations and center compliance, and (c) specific quality indicators that show especially strong links to children’s experiences in child care. Findings confirmed prior evidence regarding the importance of ratios, teacher training, and group size for high quality classroom processes, but demonstrated the more significant contribution of teacher wages and parent fees. Both structural and process measures of quality varied with the location of the center in a state with more or less stringent child care regulations. The results indicate the importance of incorporating economic and regulatory considerations into future studies of childcare quality.     

The Child Care Center Director: Policy Perspectives on Increasing Requisite Qualifications

While the prevailing wisdom in the literature supports the proposition that the early childhood center director is the "gatekeeper to quality," little is known about the type of formal and informal training center directors have had and their attitudes about the appropriateness of that training. The lack of reliable data about center directors has hampered efforts by child care advocates around the country to press for licensing standards that are reasonable and enforceable, yet also promote quality. This article provides a framework for understanding the many issues related to requisite qualifications. It synthesizes the research regarding directors' education, experience, and training and provides policy recommendations for the licensure of personnel assuming this position.     

Towards a predictive model of quality in Canadian child care centers

This paper reports on the design, methodology, and results of a study of quality in 326 classrooms in 239 Canadian child care centers. This study, the largest and most extensive ever undertaken in Canada, used the Caregiver Interaction Scale (CIS) to rate the adult–child interactions in the classrooms and the Infant–Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) to measure the quality of classroom learning environments. The observed staff members completed questionnaires on wages, working conditions, and satisfaction levels, and the center directors also completed questionnaires on center operations and finances. Path analyses revealed that in the infant/toddler rooms the number of adults in the observed classroom and the education level of the observed staff member were direct predictors of quality. In addition, there were three indirect predictors: parent fees, adult:child ratio, and use of the center as a student teacher practicum site. There were five significant direct predictors in the preschool classrooms: wages, education level, number of staff in the observed room, staff satisfaction, and whether the center received free or subsidized rent or utilities. The three indirect predictors were auspice, adult:child ratio, and parent fees. The interaction of distal and proximal factors is interpreted and applied to the development and implementation of public policy initiatives that can provide much-needed improvement to the overall mediocre levels of child care quality in Canada.     

The prediction of process quality from structural features of child care

The purpose of this study was to identify structural characteristics of center child care that are associated with observed child care quality from a large multi-state project. Hierarchical regressions examined the relations between quality of care and selected characteristics of the lead caregiver, classroom, center, and director. Nonprofit and for-profit centers (228 infant/toddler and 521 preschool classrooms) were randomly sampled in four states. Interviews, questionnaires, and observations were used assess structural and process quality. Overall, process quality was higher in states with more stringent child care regulations, nonprofit centers, and preschool classrooms. In infant/toddler classrooms, process quality was higher in classrooms with moderately experienced and better paid teachers, and more experienced directors. In preschool classrooms, process quality was higher in classrooms with teachers with more education, a moderate amount of experience, and higher wages. The findings suggest the need to increase the stringency of state child care regulations and to rearrange the budgets of child care programs.     

Assessment Validation in the Context of High-Stakes Assessment

Including the perspectives of stakeholder groups (e.g., teachers, parents) can improve the validity of high-stakes assessment interpretations and uses. How stakeholder groups view high-stakes assessments and their uses may differ significantly from state-level policy officials. The views of these stakeholders can contribute to identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the intended assessment interpretations and uses. This article proposes a process approach to validity that addresses assessment validation in the context of high-stakes assessment. The process approach includes a test evaluator or validator who considers the perspectives of five stakeholder groups at four different stages of assessment maturity in relationship to six aspects of construct validity. The tasks of the test evaluator and how stakeholders' views might be incorporated are illustrated at each stage of assessment maturity. How the test evaluator might make judgments about the merit of high-stakes assessment interpretations and uses is discussed.     

The Child Care Center Director: Policy Perspectives on Increasing Requisite Qualifications

While the prevailing wisdom in the literature supports the proposition that the early childhood center director is the “gatekeeper to quality”, little is known about the type of formal and informal training center directors have had and their attitudes about the appropriateness of that training. The lack of reliable data about center directors has hampered efforts by child care advocates around the country to press for licensing standards that are reasonable and enforceable, yet also promote quality. This article provides a framework for understanding the many issues related to requisite qualifications. It synthesizes the research regarding directors' education, experience, and training and provides policy recommendations for the licensure of personnel assuming this position.     

The Role of Preschools and Preschool Teachers: Icelandic preschool educators' discourses

The purpose of the study was to investigate how preschool teachers in Iceland view early childhood education and the professional preschool teacher. Focus groups consisting of early childhood educators in Iceland were interviewed. Each of four focus groups comprised educators who held similar positions. They were: (1) preschool teachers; (2) preschool directors; (3) preschool consultants; and (4) educators of preschool teachers. Data were analyzed using strategies of qualitative inquiry. The analysis revealed dilemmas concerning the use of concepts such as teaching and care, cooperation with the primary schools, the organization of the preschool day, and the role of preschool teachers in children's learning. The results were interpreted in the light of postmodern perspectives of the child and early childhood institutions.     

Providing High-Quality Support Services to Home-Based Child Care: A Conceptual Model and Literature Review

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Home-based child care accounts for a significant proportion of nonparental child care arrangements for young children in the United States. Yet the early care and education field lacks clear models or pathways for how to improve quality in these settings. The conceptual model presented here articulates the components of high-quality support to child care providers; related factors; and hypothesized provider, family, and child outcomes. The model is based on a literature review of research on home-based child care, home visiting, early childhood mental health consultation, coaching, and family services. We hypothesize that high-quality support to home-based child care that offers relationship-based services focused on quality caregiving (individual home visiting and group supports such as training and networking) and sustainability (materials, equipment, referrals) is most likely to positively impact quality caregiving for children and families. Practice or Policy: Current federal efforts and policy initiatives to increase the supply and quality of infant–toddler child care focus on the development of systems that support home-based providers. The conceptual model of high-quality support described here will inform future program development and research on how to improve quality in home-based child care for the millions of low-income children in these settings.     

The Strengthening Families Initiative and Child Care Quality Improvement: How Strengthening Families Influenced Change in Child Care Programs in One State

Research Findings: This study investigated how the Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education initiative in Illinois (SFI) influenced change in 4 child care programs. Findings indicate that SFI influenced quality improvements through 4 primary pathways: (a) Learning Networks, (b) the quality of training, (c) the engagement of program directors, and (e) the organizational climate at programs. SFI's multilevel model of implementation was key to its effectiveness. Two barriers to improving family partnership practices were identified: lack of cultural competence and a negative organizational climate. Practice or Policy: First, quality improvement and professional development efforts are likely to be more effective in promoting real change when they target multiple levels of the context in and around child care programs. SFI's multilevel implementation approach is a model. Second, quality improvement efforts in the area of family engagement may be more effective when specific attention is given to strategies for creating a supportive organizational climate and collegial relationships among staff. Relationships within programs set the tone for relationships with families. Third, cultural competence requires increased attention to efforts to improve the quality of family partnership practices. A focus on organizational cultural competence may provide the workplace environment necessary to support culturally competent practice among program staff.     

The relation of child care to cognitive and language development. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network

Children from 10 sites in the United States were followed from birth to age 3 to determine how experiences in child care relate to cognitive and language development (Ns varied between 595 and 856, depending on the assessment). Multiple assessments of family and child care environments and of cognitive and language competence were collected. Analyses that adjusted for maternal vocabulary score, family income, child gender, observed quality of the home environment, and observed maternal cognitive stimulation indicated that the overall quality of child care, and language stimulation in particular, was consistently but modestly related to cognitive and language outcomes at ages 15, 24, and 36 months. The effect sizes for high (top quartile) versus low (bottom quartile) quality ranged from .18 to .48. After adjusting for child care quality, cumulative experience in center-based care was associated with better outcomes than was participation in other types of care. The amount of time children spent in care was not related to outcomes. Children in exclusive maternal care did not differ systematically from children in child care. Tests for lagged relations of earlier child care experiences to later performance (adjusting for current child care) showed that language stimulation predicted subsequent cognitive and language performance 9 to 12 months later. Although children in center care at age 3 performed better than children in other types of care, earlier experience in child care homes was associated with better performance at age 3 than was experience in other types of care. The relations of child care variables to outcomes did not vary consistently as a function of family income, quality of home environment, child gender, or ethnic group.     

Child abuse potential and work satisfaction in day-care employees

The Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory and a Work Satisfaction Questionnaire were administered to 228 day-care employees at 40 centers to investigate the relationship between potential for child abuse and degree of job satisfaction. In addition, the ability of the CAP abuse scale to distinguish between groups of day-care employees thought to differ in the quality of child care provided was studied. Small, albeit significant, inverse correlations were observed between abuse scores and two job satisfaction items. As clarity of job expectations and as overall job satisfaction increased, abuse scores decreased. Although abuse scores for all day-care employees were not significantly different from norm scores, significantly lower scores were found for employees from "superior" day-care centers and for employees rated "high" by center directors. Abuse scores for employees rated "high" were also significantly below scores for employees rated "low." While these data indicate only limited relationships between child abuse and job satisfaction, the findings suggest the CAP abuse scale can distinguish some subgroups of day-care employees thought to differ in quality of child care provided.     

Child care quality: centers and home settings that serve poor families

The effects of center-based care on early development, outside of carefully controlled demonstration programs, appear to be positive yet often modest for children from low-income families. But little is known about variation in the quality of centers and preschools found among low-income neighborhoods. Evidence also remains scarce on the observed quality of home-based care, the settings that most children attend and into which large infusions of federal dollars are now directed. This paper reports on the observed quality of 166 centers and 187 nonparental home settings (including family child care homes and kith or kin providers) serving children in five cities situated in California, Connecticut, or Florida. Centers displayed higher mean quality as gauged by provider education and the intensity of structured learning activities, compared to home-based settings, but did not consistently display more positive child–provider interactions. Great variability among centers and home-based settings was observed, including between-city differences. Second, we found that contextual neighborhood attributes accounted for the quality of providers selected more strongly than family-level selection factors. Mothers with stronger verbal abilities (PPVT scores) did select higher quality centers; those employed longer hours each week relied on kith and kin providers with lower education levels. Interrelationships among different quality measures are detailed. The policy implications of such wide disparities in center and home-based care quality are discussed, including how states could more carefully strengthen regulatory or quality improvement efforts.