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Child care and the development of behavior problems among economically disadvantaged children in middle childhood

Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal1, Rebekah Levine Coley, Carolina Maldonado-Carreño

  • 1Department of Psychology, Universityof Pittsburgh, 210 South Bouquet Street, 4123 Sennott Square, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. evotruba@pitt.edu

Child Development
|September 16, 2010
PubMed

Insights

High-quality child care can reduce behavior problems in low-income children. This benefit was particularly strong for boys and African American children, highlighting the importance of quality early childhood education.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Longer-term effects of child care on development are increasingly studied.
  • Few studies focus on low-income children in community care settings.
  • Understanding child care's impact on behavior is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how child care quality, extent, and type influence behavior problems in low-income children during middle childhood (7-11 years).
  • To identify specific child care characteristics that may protect against behavioral issues.
  • To investigate differential effects across demographic groups.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Three-City Study (N=349).
  • Analyzed the relationship between child care quality, extent, and type with behavior problems.
  • Focused on children aged 7-11 years.

Main Results:

  • Higher child care quality was associated with moderate reductions in externalizing behavior problems.
  • High-quality child care provided a protective effect, especially for boys and African American children.
  • Child care type and duration of care showed no significant association with behavior problems.

Conclusions:

  • Child care quality is a significant factor in mitigating behavior problems for low-income children.
  • Targeted high-quality care may be particularly beneficial for vulnerable subgroups, including boys and African American children.
  • Future research should continue to explore nuanced impacts of early childhood experiences on long-term development.

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