Unstable and multiple child care arrangements and young children's behavior

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that child care instability is associated with child behavior problems, but existing studies confound different types of instability; use small, convenience samples; and/or control insufficiently for selection into child care arrangements. This study uses survey and calendar data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study to estimate the associations between three different types of child care instability—long-term instability, multiplicity, and the use of back-up arrangements—and children’s internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors at age 3, controlling for a large number of child and family background characteristics. Long-term instability between birth and age 3, as measured in both the survey and calendar data, is associated with higher levels of externalizing behavior problems. Current multiplicity at age 3 (as measured by survey data) is associated with higher levels of both externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, but stable multiplicity over time (as measured using calendar data) is not. Finally, the use of back-up arrangements at age 3 is associated with higher levels of internalizing behaviors. We find no consistent differences in these results by the timing of instability, child gender, family income, or type of care.

Too late and not enough for some children: early childhood education and care (ECEC) program usage patterns in the years before school in Australia

“…However, high quality has been shown to moderate externalising behaviour, whilst association with large groups of peers increases such behaviour (McCartney et al 2010). Multiple care arrangements have also been shown to be associated with poorer behavioural outcomes across a number of studies, though recent more nuanced research indicates that this is the case for unstable multiple arrangements only (Pilarz and Hill 2014).…”

Rural families’ use of multiple child care arrangements from 6 to 58 months and children’s kindergarten behavioral and academic outcomes

“…For example, in the mixed-income NICHD SECCYD sample, multiple arrangements were associated with decreases in child care provider-reported disruptive behaviors (measured at three years) for 36-versus 24-month-old children (Morrissey, 2009). In contrast, for the primarily low-income FFCWS sample, multiple arrangements were associated with increases in mother-reported behavior problems (measured at three years) for 36-versus 12-month-old children (Pilarz & Hill, 2014). Similarly, little is known about the timing of multiple arrangements through early childhood and children’s academic skills in kindergarten.…”

“…Because children actively participate within each child care environment, they have the potential to learn from and respond to the strengths of each setting, thereby enhancing their development. However, these proposed developmental benefits are potentially more prevalent for higher-income families, who may have a greater ability to intentionally arrange child care settings or provide children with stable, long-term concurrent arrangements (Pilarz & Hill, 2014), or for urban and suburban families, who may have a larger number of available child care options. For example, families may choose a range of concurrent child care options to capitalize on perceived benefits, such as positive social skills from a home-based setting and higher academic skills from a center-based setting (Bratsch, 2011; Gordon et al, 2013; Howes, 2010; Morrissey, 2009).…”

“…Furthermore, disruptions in the emotional ties that young children develop with others across multiple arrangements may prevent children from fully engaging within that environment (Howes, Hamilton, & Philipsen, 1998), particularly if children lack the flexibility needed to adjust to each additional setting (Morrissey, 2009). Empirically, in the urban Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS), three-year-old children who experienced multiple arrangements scored higher on mother-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at three years (Pilarz & Hill, 2014). For children in the nationally-representative ECLS-K sample, more arrangements prior to kindergarten was associated with an increase in externalizing behavior problems at 68 months (Bacharach & Baumeister, 2003).…”

The Relations Between Early Child Care Experiences and Socioemotional Development of Children at Age 4

“…Shim, 2007) ECCRN, 1997), 보육의 질 차 이에 의한 순응성에서도 남아가 더 크게 영향을 받는 것 으로 나타나(C. Howes & M. Olenick, 1986) 보육의 영 향력에 성차가 존재할 가능성이 있음을 가정할 수 있다. M. Gunnar et al(2010) Pilarz & H. Hill, 2014). 종단자료를 활용한 보육안정성 관련 연구도 제안할 수 있다.…”