Full-time Childcare Research Articles

Rodičovství a péče o děti v době pandemie Covid-19 v období 2020 a 2021 v Česku

This paper examines how couples with children aged 14 or under provided full-time childcare during three major Covid-19 lockdowns in Czechia. The analyses are based on the most recent data from the Czech GGS Covid pilot collected between December 2020 and February 2021, with a follow-up in April 2021. The results show that in all three lockdown periods, women were significantly more likely to be the ones left solely responsible for providing all-day childcare in the couple, even they were working as well as their partner. The odds of the woman being the sole provider of childcare increased with decreasing age and education, but also with the inability to flexibly adjust working hours.

The association between non-parental childcare intensity and parental mental health across Europe.

Young children are spending an increasing amount of time in non-parental childcare. Despite this trend, few studies have examined how the intensity of non-parental childcare associates with mental health in parents, particularly taking the institutional context concerning childcare into account. Data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions EU-SILC (2013) were used to develop a multi-level linear regression model. The sample was restricted to parents in dual-earner couples and with at least one child below the age of three (N=6709). Mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5. Highest levels of mental health were found in parents who use a moderate level of non-parental childcare, while full-time childcare was associated with lower levels of mental health. Working parents reported better mental health in countries where spending on formal childcare was higher, or where using formal childcare use was more widespread for this age group. While this study does not allow to establish a causal relationship between the researched indicators, it does indicate that mental-health problems are not randomly distributed among parents but tend to cluster more densely within parents who use higher intensities of childcare and in countries with less supportive childcare policies. Research that ignores social contexts might therefore be limited in terms of generalisation.

Correlates of children's dietary intake in childcare settings: A systematic review.

Children consume up to two-thirds of their daily dietary requirements in full-time childcare, making the setting a critical vector for preventing childhood obesity. To summarize the ecological correlates of children's dietary intake in childcare settings that were identified and categorized using the Six-Cs developmental ecological model of contributors to overweight and obesity in childhood. A literature search was conducted in 4 electronic databases. English-language, peer-reviewed publications that investigated at least 1 correlate of children's (ages 2-6 years) dietary intake in childcare settings and measured children's actual consumption of foods and beverages from food groups were included. Correlates were categorized into child, clan, community, and country groups. A total of 55 studies, which examined 29 correlates, were reviewed. Correlates identified included child's age, sex, characteristics of food provision (namely, food composition, foods and beverages served, portion sizes), repeated exposure, nutrition education, book reading, peer influence, meal service type, and childcare teachers' responsive feeding practices. Policies and participation in Head Start and the Child and Adult Care Food Program could not be determined as correlates of children's dietary intake, owing to a lack of evidence. This review produced a list of correlates to consider in designing interventions to improve children's dietary intake in childcare settings. The correlates could contribute to development of lifelong healthy eating habits, thereby preventing childhood obesity.

The Effect of Childcare Use on Gender Equality in European Labor Markets

Parenthood necessarily increases the scope of unpaid work in households and tends to depress women’s employment rates relative to men’s. This paper examines the relationship between the use of full-time childcare for children under 3 years of age and employment rates for men and women with one, two, or three or more children under 6 years of age in European households. Panel data from a sample of the (then) twenty-eight European Union member states for the 2005–15 period were analyzed. The results indicate that smaller differences between employment rates of men and women with one, two, or three or more children under 6 years of age are associated with greater use of full-time childcare arrangements for children under the age of 3. HIGHLIGHTS Traditional gender roles impose a greater burden of unpaid work on women than men. Parenthood widens the gap between women's and men's employment rates. The use of childcare reduces gender inequality in the labor market. Part-time work arrangements help women combine parenthood and employment. Long leaves have a negative impact on women's employment.

When Do Children Avoid Infection Risks: Lessons for Re-Opening Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic

One of the most challenging disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to our daily lives has been the physical closing of many schools, forcing children to navigate online learning and forcing parents to juggle full-time childcare with their own full-time jobs. Not surprisingly, there have been frequent discussions between about the need to re-open in-person classroom learning for all children this fall. However, while the success of the vaccine roll-out means that many adults will have been immunized by the 2021-2022 school year, no vaccines have yet been approved for children younger than 12 years of age (and even immediate approvals for children 12 to 16 years of age are unlikely to result in mass coverage by fall). This poses some serious public health questions about the risks to children and the greater risk to society posed by gathering a potential reservoir for infection. The best protective measures we will have for young children this fall will still be behaviors that limit potential spread, such as handwashing and mask wearing. It is therefore critical that we understand how we can ask children to engage in these behaviors in age-appropriate ways that will empower rather than scare them and improve the chances that they will adhere to protocols most effectively. Here, we review recent empirical studies that investigate the earliest ages at which children form an understanding of infection risk and most importantly, when they can translate that understanding effectively to protective action.

Childcare Attendance and Academic Achievement at Age 16 Years

Low school preparedness is linked to high school dropout, poor employment, and negative outcomes. Childcare attendance may increase school readiness and foster academic achievement. To explore whether childcare attendance was associated with academic achievement at the end of compulsory schooling (age 16 years in the UK), whether maternal education level was a moderator, and the benefit-cost ratio of childcare regarding productivity returns of academic achievement. In this cohort study, data were included from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) born from April 1991 to December 1992 and the UK National Pupil Database for examination results. Data on academic achievement at age 16 years were available for 11 843 participants. Data were collected from June 2006 to June 2008, and data were analyzed from September 2019 to May 2020. On average, 3.7%, 5.9%, and 90.4% attended childcare full time, part time, and less than 10 hours per week, respectively. Maternal education was assessed by questionnaire during pregnancy. Analyses included weights for population representativeness and propensity score weights to account for parental selection into childcare. Academic achievement was defined as no certificate, Level 1 General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE; limited training), or Level 2 GCSE (qualification for academic post-16 education; high school diploma equivalent). Lifetime productivity return estimates were withdrawn from previous economic analysis based on pupil's qualifications. Of 14 541 children in the ALSPAC study, 8936 children had complete data on childcare attendance, academic achievement, and maternal education levels. Of these, 4499 (50.3%) were male. Attending childcare was associated with higher probabilities of obtaining a Level 1 or 2 GCSE qualification (Level 1: relative risk, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.16-1.73; Level 2: relative risk, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.30-2.01); however, this association was moderated by the child's maternal education level. When children of mothers with low education attended childcare, their probability of no GCSE qualification went from 28.9% (95% CI, 26.8-31.0) to 20.3% (95% CI, 18.0-22.8), whereas children of mothers with higher education had a probability of no qualification of less than 10% regardless of childcare attendance. The benefit-cost ratio for each £1 (US $1.40) invested in full-time childcare attendance for children of mothers with low education was £1.71 (95% CI, 1.03-2.45; US $2.39; 95% CI, 1.44-3.43) for those who reached a Level 2 GCSE qualification. Promoting universal childcare with facilitated access for children of lower socioeconomic backgrounds deserves to be considered as a way to reduce the intergenerational transmission of low academic achievement.

The relation of home literacy environments to language and preliteracy skills in single- and dual-language children in Danish childcare

Preschool children’s language and preliteracy skills are influenced by their home literacy environments. We asked to what extent this is true even for children in a context, Denmark, with near-universal childcare (97% at age 3–5), and additionally, if it holds specifically for dual-language learners. The sample consisted of 5791 4–6-year-olds from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, who had attended full-time childcare since age 1–1½ on average. Despite years in childcare programs, two home literacy factors, book exposure and preliteracy activities, were significantly related to children’s Danish language and preliteracy skills. Moreover, this relation was significantly stronger for children learning a minority language at home. High book exposure either narrowed or closed the Danish majority language skill gap with single-language learners. Early entry in childcare predicted stronger language and preliteracy skills; however, early entry increased rather than diminished effects of home literacy environments on language skills, suggesting possible cross fertilization of home and childcare environments. Children with a native and a nonnative parent had substantially higher Danish language and preliteracy skills when the mother was the native than when the father was, a difference equivalent to ¾ year’s language development. Nonnative parents’ Danish proficiency and degree of Danish use showed complex relations to child outcomes, including positive, negative and null effects. Overall, the results indicate that childcare works as an addition, not a substitute for a supportive home literacy environment.

Maternal Labor Supply: Perceived Returns, Constraints, and Social Norms

We design a new survey to elicit quantifiable, interpersonally comparable beliefs about pecuniary and non-pecuniary benefits and costs to maternal labor supply decisions, to study how beliefs vary across and within different groups in the population and to analyze how those beliefs relate to choices. In terms of pecuniary returns, mothers' (and fathers') later-life earnings are perceived to increase the more hours the mother works while her child is young. Similarly, respondents perceive higher non-pecuniary returns to children's cognitive and non-cognitive skills the more hours a mother works and the more time her child spends in childcare. Family outcomes on the other hand, such as the quality of the mother-child relationship and child satisfaction, are perceived to be the highest when the mother works part-time, which is also the option most respondents believe their friends and family would like them to choose. There is a large heterogeneity in the perceived availability of full-time childcare and relaxing constraints could substantially increase maternal labor supply. Importantly, it is perceptions about the non-pecuniary returns to maternal labor supply as well as beliefs about the opinions of friends and family that are found to be strong predictors of maternal labor supply decisions, while beliefs about labor market returns are not.

Labour Supply and Regional Labour Market Situation

Germany is particularly affected by demographic change. Therefore, increasing labour market participation is considered an important labour market policy objective because it can counteract shortages of labour supply due to the aging population. The scope for increasing labour force participation is not limited to certain groups of people. It also has a spatial dimension. This paper therefore analyses the regional differences in the labour market participation of men and women of different age groups at the level of German district regions. In particular, we examine regional imbalances in the regional variation of labour force participation. Further relations to regional variables are examined using multiple regressions. The results of the analysis could be interpreted according to the so-called discouragement hypothesis which suggests that unfavourable regional labour market conditions have a negative impact on regional labour force participation. For the regional wage level, only a minimal, mostly positive correlation with the labour force participation can be established, which can be interpreted by the mutually compensating effects of wages. The regional qualification level shows a positive correlation with the participation of middle-aged and older people in the labour market. Finally, further evidence highlights the importance of full-time childcare facilities for the labour force participation of women and, increasingly, men.

Parental Feeding Behaviors Associated with Children’s Willingness to Try New Foods and Body Mass Index (BMI)

Abstract Objectives To examine associations between parental feeding behaviors and preschool children's willingness to try new foods (WTNF) and body mass index (BMI). Methods This study used baseline data collected from parents and children in childcare centers. Parents completed the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ). We measured children's height and weight, calculated BMI z-scores (BMIz) and percentiles (%ile) using CDC criteria, and assessed WTNF by offering 6 novel and 3 familiar foods. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the goodness of fit of the 8-subscales (child control, emotion regulation, involvement, modeling, monitoring, pressure to eat, restriction for health, and restriction for weight control) from the CFPQ. Logistic regressions was employed to examine the association between parents’ CFPQ scores and children's WTNF (dichotomized as high: tried ≥3 novel foods vs. low: tried <3 novel foods), and linear regressions to examine the association between parents’ CFPQ scores and child BMI, adjusting for child sex, age, race, full-time childcare center attendance [≥40 hours/week (hrs/wk)], and household income. Results The sample included 407 children (aged 48.2 ± 0.4 months) and their primary caregiver from 51 childcare centers. Majority of children were Caucasian (64%) and spent at least 40 hrs/wk at the childcare center (69%); 24% had BMI ≥85th %ile with mean BMIz of 0.36 (SD = 1.05). After dropping 3-items from the CFPQ due to low factor loadings (<0.4, n = 2) or theory (n = 1), the original 8-subscale structure demonstrated good model fit (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.97, and SRMR = 0.07). Children of parents with elevated scores on the restriction for weight subscale had 1.53 (95% CI: 1.08–2.16) greater odds of high WTNF and 0.46 (95% CI: 0.30–0.63) increase in BMIz, compared to children of parents with low subscale scores. Conclusions Children of parents who restrict foods in an attempt to control their child's weight are more likely to try new foods in a childcare setting without parents present, and are likely to be heavier. Longitudinal research is needed to determine the direction of the associations and how they relate to maternal and child characteristics (e.g., perceived or real child weight and eating behaviors). Funding Sources National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Preschool meals as a source of nutrients for 3–6-year-old Finnish preschoolers

AbstractPreschool meals influence the child's growth, development and learning ability. According to the Finnish National Nutrition Council, preschool meals should cover two thirds of the daily energy requirements if the child attends to a full-time childcare. We investigated the contribution of preschool meals on a weekday's total energy and nutrient intake among Finnish preschoolers. A cross-sectional DAGIS Study was conducted in 2015–2016. Altogether 864 3- to 6-year-old children from 66 preschools participated. Parents and early educators kept 3-day food records for the child. To capture the seasonal variation in the diet, 24% of the families also kept an additional 2-day food record. To assess the nutritional contribution of preschool meals, we selected a sub-sample of children based on the criteria that they ate all three meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack) at preschool. This yielded a sub-sample of 557 children, each contributing the data with 1 to 4 full preschool days. Data was analysed using two age groups: 3–4 years (n = 324) and 5–6 years (n = 233). Mean intake of nutrients from different preschool meals and population proportions were calculated. Mean energy intake at preschool was 3.0 ± 0.8 MJ for 3–4-year-olds and 3.5 ± 0.9 MJ for 6–7-year-olds contributing 54% of the total daily energy intake in both age groups. At preschool, lunch was the main single source of energy, protein, and fat. It was also an important source of folate (27% of the total daily intake in the younger and 29 % in the older age group) and of fibre (25% of the total daily intake in both age groups). Most of the added sugar was consumed at home (61% in the younger and 63% in the older age group). Most of the polyunsaturated fatty acid intake occurred at the preschool meals, mostly at lunch. Salt intake at preschool was high (3.2 ± 1.1 g/day and 3.6 ± 1.2 g/day in the younger and older age group, respectively). Cereal products were the main sources of salt at preschool. Preschool meals did not cover two thirds of the daily energy as recommended but preschool food was an important source of fibre, polyunsaturated fatty acids, folate, and vitamin D but also of salt. Salt intake at preschool needs to be tackled by reducing salt in recipes and using low-sodium bread.

Paid home-based childcare in Slovakia: Informal markets and care loops

Drawing on interviews conducted between 2013 and 2015 with childcare workers and their employers, this article focuses on the employment of paid home-based childcare in Slovakia, where local families prefer to employ local childcarers, rather than migrant childcarers. After a brief discussion of previous studies on home-based paid childcare and social policies, I introduce the concept of care loops and summarize family-oriented policies in Slovakia. I explain that relying on social networks and trust results in hiring local women rather than migrant childcarers. I then examine the motivations of working mothers for hiring childcare workers. I show how mothers use both structural (social policy) and cultural factors (ideals of motherhood and childrearing) to explain their childcare choices. I argue that hiring full-time childcare workers is both a way to fill the care gap and a response to a cultural preference for mother-like care for infants and toddlers. This cultural preference also results in hiring part-time childcare workers who are responsible for micromobilities of care and who help parents to manage care loops.

The role of discourse in family policy reform: The case of Finland

Since 2010 and the onset of the economic crisis, Finnish governments have pressed for structural reforms, including unpopular cuts to family benefits and services. This article analyses the government discourse used for legitimating some of these reforms: the cutbacks in child benefit and the restriction of full-time childcare. It also assesses whether this discourse bore the hallmarks of a neoliberal austerity discourse, which could suggest that the reforms were not just a matter of fiscal balancing but also a matter of neoliberal welfare state restructuring. We argue that the economic crisis was central in the powerful ‘communicative’ discourse used by the governments for legitimating unpopular cuts. Not only did it draw on ideas from an austerity discourse advocating financial sustainability, fiscal prudency and debt reduction, it was also impregnated with ideas from a neoliberal worldview questioning some of the main principles of the ‘Nordic’ family policy model.

Engaging Parents to Promote Children's Nutrition and Health.

Using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics benchmarks as a framework, this study examined childcare providers' (Head Start [HS], Child and Adult Care Food Program [CACFP] funded, and non-CACFP) perspectives regarding communicating with parents about nutrition to promote children's health. Qualitative. State-licensed center-based childcare programs. Full-time childcare providers (n = 18) caring for children 2 to 5 years old from varying childcare contexts (HS, CACFP funded, and non-CACFP), race, education, and years of experience. In-person interviews using semi-structured interview protocol until saturation were achieved. Thematic analysis was conducted. Two overarching themes were barriers and strategies to communicate with parents about children's nutrition. Barriers to communication included-(a) parents are too busy to talk with providers, (b) parents offer unhealthy foods, (c) parents prioritize talking about child food issues over nutrition, (d) providers are unsure of how to communicate about nutrition without offending parents, and (e) providers are concerned if parents are receptive to nutrition education materials. Strategies for communication included-(a) recognize the benefits of communicating with parents about nutrition to support child health, (b) build a partnership with parents through education, (c) leverage policy (federal and state) to communicate positively and avoid conflict, (d) implement center-level practices to reinforce policy, and (e) foster a respectful relationship between providers and parents. Policy and environmental changes were recommended for fostering a respectful relationship and building a bridge between providers and parents to improve communication about children's nutrition and health.

Experiences with full-time child care attendance on young children in Norway: parents' and early childhood teachers' views

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of parents and early childhood teachers in Norway regarding the benefits of child care to young children. Both positive and negative benefits were explored. In the autumn of 2009, 41 parents and 35 early childhood teachers of children aged 1.5 years or less, living in the city of Trondheim and nearby communities, were assessed by means of a semi-structured qualitative interview. There was agreement among parents and early childhood teachers that children benefited from child care. Parents, however, tended to overestimate the benefit of socialization and learning for this young age-group. However, early childhood teachers focused more on socialization, in terms of waiting for turns, observing certain rules. One third of parents did not report any negative experiences of child care. The others reported negative experiences on occasion or under certain circumstances such as long hours, poor-quality care or too many children per adult early childhood teacher. All but four of the early childhood teachers suggested that high standards had to be satisfied to make child care good enough for the youngest children.

생애 초기 보육경험과 만 4세 유아의 사회정서발달 간 관계

The present study aimed at investigating the relations between the amount of child care experienced in the first three years of life and socioemotional development of children at age 4 indicated by problem behaviors and peer competence. Using the longitudinal data of the Panel Study of Korean Children(PSKC), the information of 1,699 children were analyzed. The results indicated that any child care experience, hours in child care, full-time child care and early entry to child care were significantly related to children's externalizing behavior problem and play disruption at age 4. Some significant relations were detected between child care experience and better peer competence as well. Interestingly, the patterns of relations were different for boys and girls. Being in child care, a greater amount of child care and early entry to child care tended to be related to externalizing problem behaviors of boys and whereas they were more related to peer competence of girls indicated by play interaction, play disruption and play disconnection. Child care hours at age 3 were relative stronger predictors of children's development compared to those at age 1 or at age 2. The findings imply that the amount of child care during the first 3 years of life does not have strong harmful effects on preschoolers' socioemotional development and that there are differences in the effects of child care on boys and girls.

‘Let’s Work Together Towards Children’s Nutrition’: Building Bridge Between Child Care Providers and Parents for Promoting Child Health

To investigate childcare providers’ perspectives for communicating with parents to promote children’s nutrition and health. In-person, semi-structured interviews. Licensed center-based child care. Eighteen full-time childcare providers caring for children 2-5 years old, 67% caring for children who pay with federal subsidy. Participants were selected using maximum variation purposive sampling. Interviews were conducted until saturation was achieved. NVivo, thematic analysis used to code and identify themes and meta-themes regarding providers' perspectives for parent communication. Two meta-themes emerged from providers’ responses: barriers to communication, and strategies to communication. Barriers to communication include: parents are too busy to talk, parents prioritize food concerns over nutrition, parents allow unhealthy foods, providers are unsure about communicating, and providers weren’t sure parents were receptive to nutrition education materials. Five strategies were identified for communication and building bridges between providers and parents: ecognize the benefits of engaging and educating parents about nutrition to promote health; everage policy to communicate positively and avoid conflict with parents; implement center-level practices to reinforce policy; build partnerships with parents through education; foster a respectful relationship between providers and parents. Policy and center strategies were identified for fostering a respectful relationship and building bridges between providers and parents to promote child health and nutrition.

Dietary Intake of Children Attending Full-Time Child Care: What Are They Eating Away from the Child-Care Center?

BackgroundThe Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends children attending full-time child care obtain one-half to two-thirds of daily nutrient needs during their time at the child-care center, leaving one-third to one-half to be consumed away from the center. Although there are guidelines to optimize dietary intake of children attending child care, little is known about what these children consume away from the center. ObjectiveTo describe the dietary intake away from the child-care center for preschool-aged children relative to the expected one-third to one-half proportion of recommended intake, and to examine the relationships between energy intake away from the center with weight status, food group consumption, and low-income status. DesignCross-sectional study conducted between November 2009 and January 2011. Participants/settingParticipants (n=339) attended 30 randomly selected, licensed, full-time child-care centers in Hamilton County, OH. Main outcome measuresChild weight status and dietary intake (food/beverages consumed outside the child-care setting from the time of pickup from the center to the child’s bedtime), including energy and servings of fruits, vegetables, milk, 100% juice, sugar-sweetened beverages, and snack foods. Statistical analyses performedGeneralized linear mixed models were used to examine independent associations of food group servings and low-income status to energy intake and energy intake to child weight status. ResultsThe mean energy intake consumed away from the center (685±17 kcal) was more than the recommended target range (433 to 650 kcal). Intakes of fruits, vegetables, and milk were less than recommended. Food group servings and overweight/obesity status were positively associated with energy intake while away from the center. ConclusionsPreschool-aged children consume more energy and less fruits, vegetables, and milk outside of child-care centers than recommended. Overweight status was associated with children’s dietary intake after leaving the child-care center. It may be beneficial to include parents in obesity prevention efforts targeting children attending child-care centers.

After lunch naps reduce the afternoon motor activity of 4-5-year old enrolled in full-time childcare

Objective. To determine the relationship between napping and the afternoon motor activity of preschool-aged children. Method. Par­ticipants were 42 healthy 4-5-year olds from two child care centers (CCCs) - one where children could choose whether or not to nap after lunch (CCC I) and another one where all children were encouraged to do so (CCC II). Each participant wore an actigraphy watch for seven days so that their sleep/wake cycle and afternoon motor activity were objectively measured. In order to compare the children´s mean afternoon motor activity on napping and non-napping days, all chil­dren were required not to nap on at least one weekday. Results. The children´s mean afternoon motor activity was negatively correlated to their mean nap duration (r=-0.46; p<0.05 ). The mean motor activity was smaller on nap days compared to non-nap days for the CCC II (t = -2.33; p<0.03) but not for the CCC I (t=0.96; p=0.35). Conclu­sion. After lunch naps reduce the afternoon motor activity of 4-5- year olds enrolled in full-time child care.

Cochilos reduzem a atividade motora de crianças de 4-5 anos que frequentam creches em período integral

Objective. To determine the relationship between napping and the afternoon motor activity of preschool-aged children. Method. Par­ticipants were 42 healthy 4-5-year olds from two child care centers (CCCs) - one where children could choose whether or not to nap after lunch (CCC I) and another one where all children were encouraged to do so (CCC II). Each participant wore an actigraphy watch for seven days so that their sleep/wake cycle and afternoon motor activity were objectively measured. In order to compare the children´s mean afternoon motor activity on napping and non-napping days, all chil­dren were required not to nap on at least one weekday. Results. The children´s mean afternoon motor activity was negatively correlated to their mean nap duration (r=-0.46; p<0.05 ). The mean motor activity was smaller on nap days compared to non-nap days for the CCC II (t = -2.33; p<0.03) but not for the CCC I (t=0.96; p=0.35). Conclu­sion. After lunch naps reduce the afternoon motor activity of 4-5- year olds enrolled in full-time child care.