Center-Based Care for Young Children: Examining Predictors of Quality

Abstract

The authors collected information from caregivers, trained observers, and parents to investigate quality elements in child-care programs designed for young children in center-based settings. Participants were 75 parents of children aged 15 to 36 months and their caregivers from 13 child-care centers in a southeastern state. Observers collected indicators of program quality and process and structural quality indicators, including adult-child ratio, group size, use of planned activities, use of child-designated space, housekeeping activities, and caregiver-child interactions. Participants responded to questions regarding their child-rearing beliefs, social support networks, perceived stress levels, and demographic characteristics. The best predictors of higher quality care and sensitive caregiver-child interaction in centers were specialized caregiver training, higher adult-child ratios, use of planned activities, and less perceived stress by caregivers. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The Quality of Early Childhood Educators: Children’s Interaction in Greek Child Care Centers

“…Leach et al (2008) also found that ratios are correlated with the Detachment and Punitiveness subscales. Ghazvini and Mullis (2002) reported that early childhood educators tend to be more punitive and detached when working in classrooms with higher group sizes and more children per adult. In a Greek sample, Petrogiannis (2002) found that only the adult:child ratio and not the group size is correlated with the Permisiveness subscales, whereas Petrogiannis and Melhuish (1996) found that punitiveness and permissiveness are predicted by adult:child ratio and not by group size.…”

“…According to Ghazvini and Mullis (2002) a warm, caring relationship between a caregiver and a young child is a highly valued aspect of child care. Caregiver behaviours that are sensitive and that are not punitive or detached foster this relationship.…”

“…Researchers interested in the wide variations of care in different types of settings and differences in caregiving behaviours and conditions have often used the ecological model to shape their methodologies and to explain their findings (Ghazvini and Mullis 2002). The present study is primarily grounded in the Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1979, 1990 and it aims to examine how child care centres (children's microsystems) operate and at the same time to explore exosystems' (legislation and policy makers) attitudes towards child care and children.…”

A Comparative Study of Structural and Process Quality in Center-Based and Family-Based Child Care Services

“…In previous work by Fukkink and Lont (2007), child care workers with a higher level of education (university and college) provide better personal care (Davis et al 1996;Honig and Hirallal 1998), are more sensitive to children's needs (Burchinal et al 2002;ClarkeStewart et al 2002;Ghazvini and Mullis 2002;Honig and Hirallal 1998;Howes 1997), have more frequent interactions with children (Blau 1997;Burchinal et al 2002;Ghazvini and Mullis 2002), and are more knowledgeable about appropriate educational practices (Siraj-Blatchford et al 2002) than child care workers with lower educational levels.…”

“…Other work has shown that child care workers who have a specialized diploma or degree in early childhood education provide higher quality CCSs than do workers without such training (Fukkink and Lont 2007;Ghazvini &Mullis 2002;Spodek 2006, 2007;Tout et al 2006). Child care workers with specialized training in early childhood education are better prepared to provide an environment that is adapted to children's developmental level.…”