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Quality of center child care and infant cognitive and language development
M R Burchinal1, J E Roberts, L A Nabors
1Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill 27599-8180, USA.
Insights
High-quality child care benefits infant development. Center-based care quality positively impacts cognitive and language skills, independent of home environment factors.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Early Childhood Education
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Center-based child care is increasingly common for infants.
- Understanding the impact of child care quality on early development is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between center-based child care quality and cognitive and language development in African-American infants.
- To differentiate the effects of structural vs. process quality measures.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 79 12-month-old African-American infants was studied.
- Structural (e.g., infant-adult ratio) and process measures of child care quality were collected via interviews and observations.
- Standardized assessments measured cognitive and language development.
Main Results:
- Higher child care quality correlated with better cognitive and language development scores.
- Process quality independently predicted cognitive development.
- Infant-adult ratio (structural quality) independently predicted communication skills.
- Quality of care at home and in child care centers were positively related.
Conclusions:
- Improving the quality of center-based infant care can enhance cognitive and communication skills.
- Both structural and process aspects of child care quality are important for infant development.
- Policymakers and researchers should prioritize enhancing child care quality to support optimal infant development.
Abstract:
The relations between quality of center-based child care and infant cognitive and language development were examined in a sample of 79 African-American 12-month-old infants. Both structural and process measures of quality of child care were collected through interviews with the center director and observation of the infant classroom. Results indicated that quality of infant care positively correlated with scores on standardized assessments of cognitive development (Bayley Scales of Infant Development), language development (Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development), and communication skills (Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales). In addition, quality of care in child care centers and at home was positively related. Analyses that adjusted for this association between quality of care at home and in child care suggested that the process measure of quality of child care independently related to the infant's cognitive development, and one structural measure, the infant-adult ratio, independently related to the infant's overall communication skills. Neither child nor family factors was found to moderate the association between child care quality and infant development. These findings, in conjunction with the growing child care literature, suggest that researchers and policymakers should focus on how quality of child care can be improved to enhance, not impair, infant development.