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Deborah Vandell

Out-of-home child care in America does not have a good reputation; parents and educators should know whether its negative reputation is deserved.

The majority of young children in the U.S. spend at least some time in nonmaternal care before they enter kindergarten or first grade. Of the 1,364 infants enrolled in the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care, 80% experienced some regular nonmaternal care during their first 12 months. Almost three quarters (72%) entered that care prior to 4 months of age. Using the criterion of 10 hours of care per week, 74% of the infants experienced nonmaternal child care, with an average entry age of 3.3 months. With 30 hours per week as the criterion, 58% of the infants were in child care during the first year, with an average entry age of 3.6 months. At entry, children were in care for substantial hours, averaging about 29 hours of care per week. Parents and policymakers are raising important concerns about the quality of these child-care arrangements—about what kinds of care children are receiving, and what structural and caregiver characteristics are linked to the quality of care.

In an ongoing national study, UW Madison education professor Deborah Vandell and her colleagues study early child care with funding from the NICHD, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Based on information gathered in telephone conversations and site visits, they recently found answers to the following questions.

What structural features and caregiver characteristics predict more positive caregiver behavior in child care for 1- to 3-year-old children? Positive caregiving was more likely when child-adult ratios and group sizes were smaller; caregivers were more educated and held more child-centered beliefs about childrearing, and had more experience in child care; and environments were safer and more stimulating.

What differences in quality are associated with the type of child care and the child's age? The highest level of positive caregiving was provided by in-home caregivers, including fathers and grandparents, caring for only one child. The next highest quality care was provided by home-based arrangements with relatively few children per adult. The least positive caregiving was found in center-based care with higher ratios of children to adults. By 36 months of age, however, the significance of the child-adult ratio decreased, and in-home arrangements became less positive. What is the overall quality of child care for 1- to 3-year-olds in the U.S.? Results from the NICHD study suggest that most young children in this country receive child care that is "adequate"—neither outstanding nor terrible, but leaving plenty of room for improvement. Researchers used the observational instrument, Observational Record of the Caregiving Environment, which focuses on caregivers' behavior with a specific child rather than on what happens in the setting at large. In the sites studied, positive caregiving was determined to be "highly characteristic" for 12% of the children, "somewhat characteristic" for 32%, "somewhat uncharacteristic" for 51%, and "very uncharacteristic" for 6%.

The strongest and most consistent predictor of observed positive caregiving for infants was the child-adult ratio. Caregivers provided more sensitive, frequent, and positive care when they are responsible for fewer children. Caregivers' education also predicts quality of care and is increasingly important for older children. Vandell says parents are well advised to select care arrangements that are characterized by a low child-adult ratio, a clean and orderly physical environment, a variety of toys and learning materials, and a caregiver with a college education.

For more information, contact Deborah Vandell at dvandell@facstaff.wisc.edu.

Material for this story was adapted from the article, "Characteristics and quality of Child Care for Toddlers and Preschoolers," in Applied Developmental Science, vol. 4, no. 3, 2000.