Child Care Quality In Different State Policy Contexts
By Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Elizabeth Rigby, Rebecca M Ryan
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 26, 4;
Fall,
2007, p.887-907
Summary: This journal article presents the results of a study that tested associations between the quality of child care and State child care policies. These data, which include observations of child care and interviews with care providers and mothers for 777 children across 14 States, allow for comparisons across a range of policies and care settings. Findings show that more generous subsidy policies (i.e., greater investments, higher income eligibility) were positively associated with the quality of care in nonprofit child care centers, as well as with the use of center care. The stringency of regulations (i.e., teacher education requirements, teacher–child ratios/thresholds) was also associated with both quality and type of care, but in more complex ways. Higher teacher training requirements were positively associated with the quality of both family child care and nonprofit centers, while more stringent regulations decreased the number of children attending center care. No links were found between State policies and the quality of for-profit center care. Contains 49 references.
Index Terms: Policies, Quality Of Child Care, Regulations, State Regulations, Child Care, Data Collection, Data Reporting, Impact, Research Methodology, Research Reports, Staff Child Ratio, State Guidelines, Teacher Education, Child Well-Being Index (CWI), Child Well-being Study, Fragile Families, States
Publisher: Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Publication Type: Journal Articles
Pages: 20 pages
Language: English