Impacts of the beginning education: early childcare at home (BEECH) program for family child care providers and young children

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Beginning Education: Early Childcare at Home (BEECH) intervention for family childcare providers and young children (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers). BEECH emphasizes the use of responsive caregiving practices that can be embedded in daily routines and interactions. Family child care providers (n = 154) were randomized to one of 3 conditions: BEECH (n = 54), BEECH+ (n = 45), or control (n = 55). Providers assigned to the BEECH and BEECH+ conditions received access to an online course and they attended in-person trainings; BEECH+ providers received additional coaching support. Approximately 5 children per family child care provider were included in the study, resulting in a total of 643 children (157 infants, 258 toddlers, and 228 preschoolers). Results showed that family child care providers who participated in the BEECH intervention (regardless of condition) showed significant improvements on the Teacher Behaviors Rating Scale's total score, classroom sensitivity, and oral language use domains relative to the control group. BEECH and BEECH+ groups demonstrated similar improvements in provider-level outcomes, suggesting few to no differences between the two instantiations. Finally, there were limited significant differences in child outcomes between the intervention and control groups.