ABOUT WCER NEWS Events Cover Stories Research News International Research Press WHAT'S THE RESEARCH ON...? PROJECTS All Active Projects All Completed Projects PUBLICATIONS LECTURE SERIES PEOPLE Staff Directory Project Leaders ERG - EVALUATION RESOURCES GROUP RESOURCES Conference Rooms Equipment GRANT SERVICES GRADUATE TRAINING SERVICE UNITS Director's Office Business Office Technical Services Printing & Mail EMPLOYMENT CONTACT INFO MyWCER WORKSPACE LOGIN

Child Care Quality Affects Later Achievement

May 30, 2005

National figures show that about 50% of children less than a year old are enrolled in early care. By the time they are four years old, 80% are in early care and education. And about 50% of children enrolled in kindergarten are in some kind of before- or after-school care and education programs.

In a study for the Society for Research in Child Development, UW-Madison education professor Deborah Lowe Vandell and colleagues found that high quality child care is associated with higher scores on standardized tests of math and reading achievement in elementary school. In terms of behavior, effects of early child care on behavior problems seem to disappear by third grade, but negative effects on work habits and teacher-child relationships were still found. Read more about Vandell's work here.