OBJECTIVE: To determine if child-care services (CCS) at a population level can reduce social inequalities in academic performance until early adolescence.
METHODS:A 12-year population-based prospective cohort study of families with a newborn (n = 1269). Two CCS variables were estimated: "intensity" (low, moderate, and high number of hours) and "center-based CCS type" (early onset, late onset, and never exposed to center-based CCS).
RESULTS:Children from low socioeconomic status (SES) families who received high-intensity CCS (any type), compared with those who received low-intensity CCS, had significantly better reading (standardized effect size [ES] = 0.37), writing (ES = 0.37), and mathematics (ES = 0.46) scores. Children from low-SES families who received center-based CCS, compared with those who never attended center care, had significantly better reading (ES early onset = 0.68; ES late onset = 0.37), writing (ES early onset = 0.79), and mathematics (ES early onset = 0.66; ES late onset = 0.39) scores. Furthermore, early participation in center-based CCS eliminated the differences between children of low and adequate SES on all 3 examinations (ES = -0.01, 0.13, and -0.02 for reading, writing, and mathematics, respectively). These results were obtained while controlling for a wide range of child and family variables from birth to school entry.
CONCLUSIONS:Child care services (any type) can reduce the social inequalities in academic performance up to early adolescence, while early participation in center-based CCS can eliminate this inequality. CCS use, especially early participation in center-based CCS, should be strongly encouraged for children growing up in a low-SES family.
WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:Previous studies indicate that higher quality of child-care services have long-lasting cognitive benefits, regardless of SES. However, there is disparity between studies as to whether child-care intensity and type can reduce these social inequalities up to adolescence.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:At a population level, child-care services were shown to have either reduced or eliminated the social inequalities in academic achievement up to adolescence after careful control of selection bias and attrition.
Increasingly, migrants with precarious status (MPS) are recognized as being particularly vulnerable. This exploratory study assesses whether the health of MPS in Montreal, Canada, is similar to that reported in the international literature (see Health situation of migrants with precarious status: Review of the literature and implications for the Canadian context—Part A, Social Work in Public Health, 27(4), 330–344). The results of this study show that, as in other parts of the world, MPS in Canada appear to be confronted by multiple obstacles to health, many of which are linked to their precarious migration status and its impact on living conditions and access to health care. To reduce health inequalities, therefore, it is crucial to better understand and address the specific needs of this highly vulnerable population.
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