High-quality Child Care Research Articles

High-Quality Child Care as an Effective Antipoverty Strategy: Emerging Evidence From Canada.

In their article, “Child Care Attendance and Educational and Economic Outcomes in Adulthood,” Domond et al1 confirm extant literature revealing the lifelong impact of high-quality early care and education participation. Specifically, 2 seminal early intervention studies conducted in the United States, the HighScope Perry Preschool Program2 and the Carolina Abecedarian study,3 have revealed the academic, social, economic, and health benefits of early childhood education, especially for children placed at risk primarily because of poverty.4 These studies, which were based on a small sample of primarily African American children in specific communities, make it challenging to generalize the findings, and the lack of rigorous examination of the core components makes it difficult to replicate. The current study extends and expands our current knowledge about the impact of regulated early care and education, specifically child care, on children’s education attainment and economic stability. Of particular note … Address correspondence to Iheoma U. Iruka, PhD, HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 600 N River St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198. E-mail: iiruka{at}highscope.org

Factory labor and childcare in wartime Japan

ABSTRACT The Asia-Pacific War clearly had a great social and psychological impact on Japanese women. Two additional types of female factory laborers who are the focus of this article—those hired under the Jūgo Joshi Kinrō Yōin (homefront women workers recruitment system) and jokō (female factory workers)—have received much less scholarly attention until now. This article analyzes homefront women worker recruits and female factory workers and argues that, despite wartime labor shortages, there were differences in the ways these two categories of workers were treated, both in the conditions of their employment and in the kinds of childcare for which they were eligible. Although the socialization of women's domestic responsibilities—in particular childcare—allowed for the expansion of employment opportunities for women, in the end the homefront women workers recruitment system failed to achieve its goal of mobilizing married women and of providing high-quality childcare.

Policy Challenges for Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren with Disabilities

AbstractChildhood disability rates in the US are increasing, but supports for families are not. As a result, US grandparents provide a great deal of care for grandchildren with disabilities. When they do, they face a myriad of social policy challenges. Here we explore three such challenges: (1) how access to employment benefits such as paid vacation, paid sick leave, paid parental leave, or affordable, high quality childcare shapes grandparent care work; (2) how access to poverty‐based, social assistance programs, such as SNAP, SSI, and Medicaid, shapes grandparent care work; and (3) how access to disability policies and programs, such as those pertaining to accessible classrooms, parks, or apartments, shapes grandparent care work. We augment this assessment of policies with quotes from fifty interviews we conducted with grandparents caring for grandchildren with disabilities. We found that grandparents were providing childcare, bathing, feeding, transportation, and therapy; helping with homework; accompanying grandchildren for medical care; paying for everything from groceries to surgeries; and assisting with technical medical care. Several were also advocating for their grandchildren with administrators at SNAP, SSI, Medicaid, public schools, park districts, and landlords. Caring for grandchildren with disabilities gives many grandparents a great deal of joy, satisfaction, and purpose. Although most are eager and happy to help, doing so may adversely impact their financial, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Those with sufficient resources may be more readily able to absorb the impact, but those who provide the most care with the fewest resources are more likely to deplete their savings, incur new debts, reduce or end employment, restrict social lives, and forego travel plans. They are also more likely to experience anxiety and emotional distress, have disabilities of their own, and neglect their physical wellbeing through a lack of exercise, improper diets, and delayed medical and dental care.

Why do they depend on the private sector of childcare in South Korea?: Perspectives of the selected working mothers

Low birth rate constitutes one of the social problems currently faced by South Korea. In order to solve this issue, the government has tried to reduce the burden of child rearing and enhance child support. Despite governmental childcare support policy being tightened, the burden of childcare remains an issue, especially for working mothers; in fact, some rely on private services due to the lack of high quality and reliable public childcare services. There are few studies related to the use of private services by working mothers in South Korea. In this sense, this study focuses on the experience of working mothers with private childcare professionals—so called emo in South Korea. Through an in-depth interview with six participants, this study reveals the real voice of working mothers hiring emoes to care for and support their children, filling the gap between childcare policy and their demands and providing suggestions to alleviate this discrepancy.

Parent engagement in early care and education settings: relationship with engagement practices and child, parent, and centre characteristics

ABSTRACT Parent engagement in early care and education (ECE) settings is a component of high quality childcare, yet little is known about mechanisms of parent engagement in centre-based care. Using a nationally representative U.S. sample, we examined centre, classroom, and teacher characteristics associated with practices ECE providers use to engage parents, and the association between these practices and parent engagement at ECE centre-based programmes. Centres with lower adult-to-child ratios, more health and developmental services, fewer meal subsidies, more time spent in reading activities, and longer teacher tenure utilized more parent engagement practices. Parents engaged more at ECE centres that had higher levels of engagement practices, accepted subsidies, were not preschool programmes, and had teachers who believed children should learn to read in kindergarten. Additional research is needed to identify characteristics that contribute to variation in use of ECE engagement practices and policies that increase parent engagement.

Early Childhood Education and Child Care in Arizona : Is Availability Alone Sufficient?

With many states increasingly adopting Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) to rate their early childhood education (ECE) and child care programs, researchers question the use of these systems. Specifically, they are trying to understand the value of information provided by QRIS ratings and the implications QRIS ratings have on the quality of and access to ECE and child care programs for families. In this study, we attempt to understand the value of QRIS ratings when they are provided for families at the household level. To do so we take a close look at the relationship between availability of programs rated by the Quality Improvement and Rating System (QIRS) in Arizona and demographics of the communities they serve, and compare the utilization of the programs in communities with varying demographic compositions. While we find that more high-quality ECE and child care programs are available for children that are Hispanic, Black, and eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, we also find that families underutilized those programs. We argue that this underutilization might be due to a variety of barriers that the families are experiencing and believe that efforts should be directed to work with families and assist them in understanding their enrollment options.

The specifics of the doctor-patient relationship in the system of neonatological and pediatric care and the areas of psychological work

«Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Психология» — научно-теоретический рецензируемый журнал, публикующий оригинальные статьи по различным отраслям психологической науки и адресованный профессиональному психологическому сообществу, а также ученым, работающим в смежных областях.

Effectiveness of an education program for Caregivers Knowledge Related to Management of Children with Growth Hormone Deficiency in Outpatient Endocrine Clinics

Objectives: The study aims to assess and evaluate the caregivers knowledge about management of the children with growth hormone deficiency and to find out the relationship between caregivers kowledge and caregivers age, gender, number of individual in house hold, Date of treatment started ,Caregivers level education and economic status Methodology: Quazi expermental study design was carried out at (Child's Central Teaching Hospital, Medical City of Al Imamian Al Khadhmain Teaching Hospital, and National Centre for Treatment and Research of Diabetes,Specialized Center for Endocrine Diseases and Diabetes, and Department of Medical City Children Welfare Teaching Hospital started from novomber 6th , 2017 through july 1st , 2018 , accidental (non-probability) sample of (80) caregivers who were attending to outpatient endocrine clinics and centers.The data were collected through the use of constructed questionnaire , which consist of two parts (1) demographic characteristic (6 )items (2) caregivers knowledge which consist from 3 sections of (33 ) items .Validity of the study was determined through the panel of (16) experts and the reliability of the study questionnaire through the pilot study.Descriptive statistical and inferential analysis by using spss , version 23
 Results: The findings of the study indicated that there is statistical significant difference between caregivers knowledge and their demographic characteristic except gender, level of education ,and economic status.
 The study recommended that: necessary for early detection of growth hormone deficiency for children, providing special nurse in endocrine clinics and center to give high quality care for children and education for children and their caregivers about signs and symptoms of growth hormone deficiency

Child care deserts in New York State: Prekindergarten implementation and community factors related to the capacity to care for infants and toddlers

Access to high quality child care provides a valuable support to families and communities as it both enables parental employment and provides a safe and developmentally appropriate place for children. Yet, access to child care for children under age three is uneven, with some communities experiencing child care “deserts” (Jessen-Howard et al., 2018). This paper assesses the infant and toddler child care capacity – the proportion of age-eligible children for which there are available child care slots – of communities across New York State. Using data from the NY State Education Department (670 school districts in the most recent year of available data), the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (about 18,000 registered child care providers), and the National Center for Education Statistics definitions of locale, we examine how child care capacity relates to school district and community factors over 9 years (2007–2016). Using negative binomial regression, we see overall stability in capacity for infant and toddler child care in New York State, but important variation by demographic factors and geography. Non-urban communities and communities with greater levels of student poverty have less capacity for infants and toddlers. Urban communities, communities with publicly funded prekindergarten and greater levels of minority children are associated with greater capacity. Importantly, in non-urban communities only (and especially in rural communities), we find an interaction effect that documents significantly reduced capacity for infant and toddler child care in communities also implementing public prekindergarten.

Designing a Multistakeholder Collaboration to Improve Preventive Care for Children With Sickle Cell Anemia.

Newly developed measures of health care quality for children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) have revealed significant performance gaps in recommended care. Historically, health systems, Medicaid health plans, and state Medicaid programs have not partnered with patients and families to improve SCA care delivery. We organized 2 novel multistakeholder design meetings to identify potential interventions to deliver high-quality preventive care for children with SCA. Invitees included patients with SCA, families, and representatives from pediatric hematology clinics, Medicaid health plans, community organizations, and a state Medicaid program. Participants identified some barriers to care through presentations and facilitated discussions. Over 35 potential interventions and 6 drivers of high-quality SCA preventive care delivery were organized into a key driver diagram. Many barriers to SCA care delivery could be addressed by Medicaid health plan resources to support members with chronic disease; however, these resources are infrequently used in the pediatric SCA population. Bridging gaps between stakeholder groups identified many potential interventions to improve SCA preventive care delivery at all levels of the health care system. Similar multistakeholder discussions may be useful for other communities interested in improving preventive care for children with SCA or other chronic pediatric diseases.

Choosing what is best for one’s children? Experimental evidence on parents’ responsiveness to childcare subsidies and their preferences for different childcare arrangements

How do various levels of subsidies shape parental preferences for different childcare arrangements? Using data collected in a choice experiment that was conducted with 540 parents in the city of Bern, Switzerland, this study demonstrates how parental preferences for adequate childcare arrangements for their preschool-aged children are crucially mediated by the offered subsidies. Focusing on center-based care, we further investigate whether these preferences differ across individual social status, earnings, migration background, and gender. The results show that subsidizing high-quality childcare centers seems to fulfill the underlying policy goal of shifting parents’ preferences toward formal, center-based care arrangements. We also observe that this effect is more pronounced for individuals who are less likely to resort to this type of childcare in the first place, namely, families with fewer monetary resources, individuals with a migration background, and men.

Maternal employment and childcare during infancy and childhood overweight

ObjectiveThis paper examines the joint impact of maternal employment and childcare during infancy on childhood weight at ages three and five in the context of weak social support for early childhood care and education. MethodUsing three waves of longitudinal data from the Growing-Up in Ireland survey (n = 8,393 age three, n = 8,039 age five), propensity score matching is used to address the endogeneity of employment and childcare decisions. Selection on observables is used to assess potential bias arising from selection on unobservables whereby unobserved characteristics of the mother or child may jointly influence child weight and maternal employment and childcare. ResultsFull-time maternal employment at nine months combined with either formal or informal childcare increases the likelihood of being overweight at three years by 8.1% and 5.9% respectively, but only for children of highly educated mothers. Similar results are observed for part-time employment coupled with informal (7.5%) or parental (8.0%) care. The results for mothers with lower levels of education are either not significant or favourable. While the majority of the effects dissipate by age five, there is some evidence that full-time maternal employment coupled with informal care increases the risk of being overweight at both ages three and five for children of higher-educated mothers. An assessment of selection bias finds that the estimates of full-time employment combined with formal childcare by well-educated mothers are a lower bound, such that the true effect on child weight may be understated. ConclusionsThe findings for Ireland are consistent with studies from the United States and the United Kingdom, and are in contrast to findings from the rest of Europe, suggesting the role of institutional factors, such as the lack of subsidised, universal, high-quality childcare.

Maternal depression in early childhood and child emotional and behavioral outcomes at school age: examining the roles of preschool childcare quality and current maternal depression symptomatology.

Recent studies have shown that the association between maternal depression and child outcome can be moderated by children's experience of childcare (e.g., daycare) during early childhood (0-5years). We also know that maternal depression in the child's early years has long-term associations with child development. However, the moderating role of childcare quality on long-term associations between maternal depression and child outcome has not been thoroughly investigated. This article examined longitudinal associations between probable maternal depression (PMD) during early childhood (0-5years) and childcare quality on children's emotional and behavioral development at the age of 7-8years (N = 207). Childcare quality was evaluated through observations within the settings. PMD during early childhood was assessed using complementary information from interviews conducted with the mother and current maternal symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Internalizing and externalizing behaviors were reported by the mother, father and the child at age 7-8years. Results indicate that when mothers reported clinically relevant depression in early childhood, 7-8-year-old children demonstrate fewer behavioral problems if they attended a higher quality childcare setting. The moderating role of childcare quality remained after considering current maternal depression symptoms. Therefore, it is important to ensure high-quality childcare during early childhood to optimize child development.

Systematic Review of Early Child Care Centers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and Health, Growth, and Development Among Children Aged 0–3 Years (P11-052-19)

ObjectivesTo examine associations between child care center attendance and child health, growth, and development in low-income and middle-income countries. MethodsSearches were conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycInfo, and ERIC. Inclusionary criteria were comparison of child care center participation with a nonparticipation group, aged 0–3 years, publication 2000–2018, and an English translation. Exclusionary criteria were specialized groups, co-intervention, or studies focused exclusively on children over 3 years of age. Eleven studies met criteria: 7 from South America (Brazil), 2 from Africa (Nigeria), and 2 from Asia (Turkey and Nepal). ResultsChild care centers, often implemented to enable mothers to work, included private, nongovernmental, and public programs. Children of older, better-educated mothers tended to enroll in private centers, and children from low-income communities and backgrounds in public centers. Child care center participation was associated with discontinued breastfeeding and increased infections. In some cases, longer duration of child care attendance was associated with improved immunity and normal growth, especially for the youngest children. Child development findings were mixed. Policies guiding the programs varied across the countries where studies were conducted; most countries were underdeveloped. ConclusionsMany LMIC are increasing their attention and support for early child care programs, often in support of maternal employment. By providing child care centers that are accessible, available, and affordable; that ensure safe and hygienic environments; and that include opportunities for age-appropriate activities and interactions with consistent and responsive caregivers, countries can promote young children’s health, growth, and development. Policies, programs, and investments that support high-quality child care can not only support mothers in the work force, but also enhance the country’s future by ensuring that young children receive the care and support needed to advance their development. Funding SourcesRTI International.Partial funding from the National Institutes of Health - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Factors influencing caregiver strain among foster, kin, and adoptive parents

ABSTRACTA better understanding of how to support resource (foster, kinship, and adoptive caregivers) is needed to ensure high-quality home-based care for children who cannot reside safely in their homes. Using the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire, this study examined factors that predicted the extent to which caregivers experienced Objective Strain (the disruption of family routines and financial burden) and Subjective Strain (feelings of guilt, anxiety, and fatigue). Regression analyses suggest that resource parents who are caring for children who need mental health services experience higher levels of stress than other parents. Factors that mitigate strain include access to quality mental health services provided by child welfare and mental health professionals who are adoption-competent and trauma-informed, and the provision of adequate financial support. Findings suggest that supports from skilled service providers are critical for preventing stress and burnout in resource parents.

How does disability influence child care arrangements for young children? An examination using the NHES ECPP

Affordable child care is an essential support for families with young children, and quality of care impacts a range of child development outcomes. Still, many families face a number of barriers to accessing high-quality care. Given the necessary resources for raising a child with a disability, high-quality child care may be particularly salient for families with a child with a disability. Yet, these families face additional challenges to accessing appropriate care, and children with disabilities may be less likely to be receiving quality care than their nondisabled peers. Despite these challenges, little empirical work has been done to examine differences in child care arrangements between families who have a child with a disability and those who do not. Using data from the National Household Education Surveys (NHES) Early Childhood Program Participation (ECPP) surveys, this paper seeks to understand if there are differences in the types of arrangements used. Results suggest young children with disabilities are 50% more likely to be enrolled in formal, center-based care compared to no enrollment in child care and 25% less likely to be enrolled in informal care compared to center-based care than their nondisabled peers, with additional differences by household income and child's age. Findings offer a crucial first step in understanding child care arrangements for young children with disaiblities and indicate that center-based care may be particularly important for families.

Parental preferences and patterns of child care use among low-income families: A Bayesian analysis

Parents' selections of child care arrangements involve complex decisions made in the context of child and family needs, resources and constraints. This study analyzed data from a survey of low-income parents to examine the factors associated with the type of care arrangement used most often. We employed Bayesian estimation methods to account for the interrelated nature of parental employment and child care decisions. We incorporated parental preferences for characteristics of child care to predict the type of care setting based on a factor analysis of parent responses about the importance of different care characteristics. We found that latent factors that were associated with a higher probability of working, or of working more hours, also increased the probability of using centers or family child care, and decreased the likelihood of using family, friend or neighbor (informal) care. In concordance with the existing literature, low-income families in Minnesota were more likely to use informal care for infants (relative to preschool-age children), and households with more educated parents were more likely to use centers. Hispanic families were less likely to use any form of non-parental care. Given the potential of high-quality child care to increase the well-being and developmental trajectories of low-income children, understanding parents' decisions about child care and employment is fundamental to improving child and family outcomes.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care: The 4th Edition of the NCP Guidelines (TH360)

•Explain the importance of the National Consensus Project (NCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, 4th Edition.•Describe the process of developing the 4th edition of the Guidelines.•Differentiate the 4th edition from the previous edition of the Guidelines. Palliative care has expanded into new settings and is being offered by diverse types of organizations, such as health systems, office practices, cancer centers, dialysis units, home health agencies, hospices, long-term care providers and more. Driven by this tremendous innovation within the field, the National Consensus Project (NCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care were revised and the 4th edition was published fall 2018. The goal of the 4th edition of the Guidelines is to improve access to quality palliative care regardless of setting, diagnosis, prognosis, or age by encouraging organizations and clinicians across the care continuum to integrate palliative care principles and best practices into their routine assessment and care of their patients. The Guidelines formalize and delineate evidence-based processes and practices for the provision of safe and reliable high-quality palliative care for adults and children with serious illness, and their families, in all care settings. Those seeking to develop or expand palliative care can integrate the Guidelines into all aspects of their organization to ensure the highest quality care is provided to all patients and their families. This session will review how the 4th edition of the Guidelines was developed, what changes were made from the 3rd edition, and what the implications are to deliver quality palliative care across settings. In addition, the key findings from the systematic review of the Guidelines that was completed by the RAND Evidence-based Practice Center will be discussed.

Classifying Home-Based Child Care Providers: Validating a Typology of Providers’ Beliefs and Self-Reported Practices

Although home-based child care is a widely-used form of non-parental child care, relatively little is known about the home-based provider workforce and their beliefs and practices related to children and families. This study validates a previously identified typology of listed home-based child care providers (Hooper and Hallam, Early Child Res Q 47:194–205, 2019). The typology categorizes providers based on their beliefs and self-reported practices, rather than by licensing status or other structural characteristics. The current study uses exploratory and confirmatory latent profile analysis (LPA) to categorize a statewide sample of home-based child care providers (n = 234). Results of the confirmatory LPA suggest that the original typology identified in previous analysis of a nationally representative sample—Educationally Focused, Educationally Aware, and Caregiver profiles—fit the data well. However, an additional profile of Highly Engaged providers emerged in the exploratory analysis. Using the results of the profile analyses, I discuss implications for designing and implementing quality improvement supports for home-based child care providers to support them in providing high-quality child care.

A descriptive profile of state Child Care and Development Fund policies in states with high populations of low-income Hispanic children

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) serves dual goals of promoting low-income parents' employment, education, and training, and supporting parents’ use of high quality child care and education. While changes in CCDF policies have aimed to improve the accessibility and functionality of CCDF subsidies for all eligible low-income families, utilization among Hispanic families, who represent the highest growing proportion of income poor families, remains low. Our study explores the ways in which the state-level child care policy context may differentially affect utilization among Hispanic families and contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in program utilization. We use the child care accommodation model and administrative exclusion to offer an expanded conceptual framework. We consider how policies and administrative practices may interact with demographic and community characteristics common among low-income Hispanic families and impose differential learning, psychological, and compliance costs for accessing government assistance programs such as CCDF. Our analysis of the 13 states in which over 80% of the low-income Hispanic child population resides, identifies policies around eligibility, documentation requirements, receipt prioritization, and the online user experience that vary across states and may serve to either facilitate or constrain access to a child care subsidy. Implications for the design of child care policies to equitably support economic and child well-being for all eligible families are discussed.