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Toddlers' and Preschoolers' Experience in Family Day Care: Age Differences and Behavioral Correlates
Erin M Kryzer1, Nikki Kovan, Deborah A Phillips
1Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota.
Insights
Toddlers in mixed-age child care settings receive less sensitive care and are less engaged than preschoolers. Their functioning is more dependent on caregiver interactions, highlighting the need for quality support in family child care.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Early Childhood Education
- Caregiver-Child Interactions
Background:
- Family child care settings often serve mixed-age groups, including toddlers and preschoolers.
- Understanding the quality of care and child functioning in these mixed-age environments is crucial for optimal child development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the quality of care and child functioning between toddlers and preschoolers in mixed-age family child care settings.
- To investigate the differential dependence of toddlers and preschoolers on caregiver interactions for their functioning.
Main Methods:
- Observation of 112 children (56 toddlers, 56 preschoolers) in family child care settings.
- Analysis of care quality dimensions: Sensitive/Supportive Care and Structured Care.
- Assessment of child functioning: social integration, attention, positive mood, and angry/aggressive behavior.
Main Results:
- Toddlers received less sensitive, supportive care and showed lower social integration and engagement compared to preschoolers.
- Preschoolers exhibited higher levels of angry/aggressive behavior than toddlers.
- Caregiver behavior had a stronger association with toddler functioning, indicating greater dependence on support.
Conclusions:
- Mixed-age settings may provide suboptimal sensitive care for toddlers.
- Toddlers appear more reliant on caregiver support for successful functioning in child care.
- Overall child functioning and caregiver interactions were poorer in settings with higher child-to-staff ratios.
Abstract:
One hundred and twelve children, 56 toddlers and 56 preschoolers, were observed in their family child care settings to determine whether toddlers cared for in settings that also included preschoolers were, relative to the preschoolers, receiving more or less high-quality care and/or whether their functioning at child care appeared to be more or less dependent on aspects of the care providers' interactions with the children. Quality of care was analyzed along two dimensions: Sensitive/Supportive Care and Structured Care. Four indices of child functioning at child care were examined: integration in social activities, attention, positive mood, and angry/aggressive behavior. Results indicate that toddlers received less sensitive, supportive care than preschoolers in these mixed-age settings and toddlers were less socially integrated and less engaged in activities in the child care setting. Preschoolers displayed increased levels of angry/aggressive behavior relative to toddlers. In addition, associations of care provider behaviors and child functioning were larger for toddlers than preschoolers, suggesting that toddlers were more dependent on caregiver support for more successful functioning in these family child care settings. For both toddlers and preschoolers, care provider behavior and child functioning was generally poorer in settings with more children.
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