The ecology of family day care

The study examined the interrelationships of multiple levels of the family day care system (family, child care, and children) in order to portray the ecology of family day care in a small midwestern city and surrounding rural areas. Fifty-seven children, their mothers, and caregivers (n = 30) participated. Caregiver characteristics, conditions of caregiving, and quality of care in the family day care homes were assessed. Family background information (SES, education, stress, social support, and childrearing preferences) was obtained. Children's cognitive, language, and social development were assessed using static and process measures of each domain. Results revealed that families did not choose caregivers who resembled themselves with respect to SES, childrearing preferences, and stress, nor did they select child care whose quality varied systematically with their characteristics. Family and child care characteristics appeared to have additive effects on children's development.     

The adventures of a day care provider

B. J. Richards operates a licensed day care home in Logan Square, Chicago, Illinois. She founded and worked in a day care cooperative in New York City for twelve years.