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CHILD CARE QUALITY: STRUCTURAL QUALITY
NATIONAL STUDY OF CHILD CARE FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES
Measure: Structural Child Care Quality Questions from the Parent Interview, Family Child Care Provider Interview, In-Depth Study of Family Child Care Observation Measures, and the Community Survey
Source
The National Study of Low-Income Child Care is funded by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The study is being conducted by Abt Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University’s Joseph Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
Population Assessed
“Information for the study is collected at three levels, with nested samples of communities within states and families and providers within communities. The first level is a sample of 17 states containing 25 communities that were selected from a national sampling frame to be as close as possible to a representative sample of counties with child poverty rates above 14 percent. At the family level, the study includes several samples: a random sample of 2,500 low-income families (with incomes under 200% of federal poverty guidelines) with working parents and at least one child under age thirteen for whom they use non-parental child care in the 25 communities (100 per community); a sample of 650 low-income parents who are receiving, or are eligible for, child care subsidies, and who are using family child care at the start of the study; and a sample of the 650 family child care providers linked to these 650 families” (DHHS, 2000, p. 9). The sample is not representative of all 50 states.
Periodicity
The study began in September 1997 and ended in June 2003. Information for the study was collected twice for the states, once in 1999 and again in 2001. Information about the communities was collected three times from 1999 to 2001. Information about the family child care setting was collected once.
Subscales/Components
Child Care questions are included in the Parent Interview, the Family Child Care Provider Interview, and the Community Survey. The Parent Interview addresses the parent attitude toward the quality of the care. The Family Child Care Provider Interview addresses the licensing of the care center and the caregiver’s experience and training. The Community Survey addresses specific reasons for choosing a care arrangement.
The In-Depth Study of Family Child Care observes aspects of the child care such as adult-child ratio, the activities the children participate in and the supervision level throughout the day, and the safety of the area in which the children play.
Procedures for Administration
This information is not readily available.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
This information is not readily available.
Languages Available
This information is not readily available.
Items Included
The interviews can be requested by contacting the National Study of Low Income Child Care Project Director (Jean Layzer, jean_layzer@abtassoc.com).
Because of the large number of questions in each instrument, only a limited number of sample questions/responses are included.
PARENT INTERVIEW
L. Attitudes Towards Current Arrangement and Relationship with Provider
L14. I’d like to read a list of statements about your current child care provider and your child’s experience in her home. For each item, tell me if it is always true, often true, sometimes true, or never true.
My caregiver has good training and education.
My caregiver shows she/he knows a lot about children and their needs.
The caregiver is skilled with children in a group
FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDER
A16. Is there a child care resource and referral network in your community?
A17. Are you listed with a resource and referral agency?
A18. Is your home licensed as a family child care home by the State?
A18a. How long have you been licensed?
A18b. How often are you required to renew your license?
A 18c. Does the State licensing agency make monitoring visits to your home?
A18d. How frequently do licensing staff make monitoring visits?
More than once a year
Once a year
Once every two years
On an irregular schedule
Section F. Caregiver Characteristics and Experience
Now, some questions about you.
Fl. What is the highest level of school you completed?
Less than high school
Ged
High school diploma
Less than 2 years of college
Two-year associates’ degree
Two or more years of college but no college degree
Vocational or technical school after high school
College degree
Post -graduate or professional degree
Don’t know
Refused
F3. Have you had any special child care or early education training?
Child development associate training
Teacher training
Nurse’s training or health courses
Training by referral or government agency
Child care courses or workshops
Child development or psychology courses in school
Other training focused on education (such as elementary education)
Other training focused on social services (such as social work)
Other (specify)
COMMUNITY SURVEY
Section E. Specific Reasons for Choosing Mode of Care and Specific Arrangement
Let’s talk now about (NAME OF PROVIDER FROM SCREENER) who is the person that takes care of (NAME OF FOCUS CHILD) for most of the time you are working.
E1. Before you chose (PROVIDER) to care for (CHILD), did you visit and interview providers person, visit other facilities, check references, or consider staying home yourself?
E2. Did you find any other arrangements that were satisfactory with respect to type and quality care, location, and cost, and that had space for (CHILD)?
E3. Not including (PROVIDER), how many other acceptable choices did you have?
IN-DEPTH STUDY OF FAMILY CHILD CARE: OBSERVATION MEASURES
| Children Who are Not Provider's Own Children | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Name of Child | Birthdate (mm/dd/yyyy) | Age | Related to Provider? (Y/N) | Present on Day of Visit (Y/N) |
| 1. (FC) | ||||
| 2. | ||||
| 3. | ||||
| 4. | ||||
| 5. | ||||
| 6. | ||||
| 7. | ||||
| 8. | ||||
| 9. | ||||
| 10. | ||||
| 11. | ||||
| 12. | ||||
| Assistants/Helpers in Family Child Care Home | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Name of Assistant | Approximate # Hours Worked/Week | Age in Years | Related to Providers (Y/N) | Present on Day of Visit? (Y/N_ |
| 1. | ||||
| 2. | ||||
| 3. | ||||
| Use back of page to list additional assistants | ||||
The observation manual also includes places for the observer to note the location of the children and caregivers throughout the day and their involvement in various activities.
References and Source Documents
The interviews can be requested by contacting the National Study of Low Income Child Care Project Director (Jean Layzer, jean_layzer@abtassoc.com).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000, November). National Study of Child Care for Low-Income Families: State and community substudy interim report. Washington, DC: Author. Available at http://www.abtassoc.com/reports/NSCCLIF.pdf
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