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Wiring for Success:
National Research Linking Early Child Care with Adolescent Development
Aletha C. Huston
University of Texas at Austin
Presentation to E3 Alliance, July 28, 2010
Research Publication
Do Effects of Early Child Care Extend to Age 15 Years? Results From the NICHD
Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
Deborah Lowe Vandell, Jay Belsky, Margaret Burchinal, Laurence Steinberg, Nathan Vandergrift
and the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network
Child Development, 2010, Vol. 81, pages 737-756
Background
1980s Rapid increase in employment by mothers of
young children National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development convened experts to discuss impacts of infant child care
Initiated study to follow children from birth to 3
Study Begins 1991
1364 parents recruited at birth of infant
Two Perspectives
• Quality early childhood education and care promotes cognitive and social competencies
• Early child care results in reduced parent-child attachment and problem behaviors
Understanding the conditions under which Understanding the conditions under which early child care is linked to children’s early child care is linked to children’s functioning has been a primary aim of the functioning has been a primary aim of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care since its NICHD Study of Early Child Care since its inception in the early 1990s. inception in the early 1990s.
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Problems in Earlier Research
Small, non-representative samples “Selection bias”
The amount and quality of child care depends partly on family characteristics.
Correlations of child care with child development may be due to family differences
Did not separate the quality, amount, and type of care
Little known about individual differences
Sampling Plan and Subject Recruitment
Sites selected by competitive review of proposals (scientific merit), not on basis of demography.
Ten sites and the associated 24 hospitals define the sampling domain of the study.
All births in study hospitals during the recruitment period define a catchment which is the “reference population of the study.”
Sampling designed to produce unbiased estimates of effects for the catchment while assuring adequate representation of major socio-demographic niches.
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Location of Data Collection Sites
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Sample Demographic CharacteristicsSample Demographic Characteristics(N = 1364) at Recruitment(N = 1364) at Recruitment
Income-to-NeedsIncome-to-Needs 0-1 (poverty) 5.9% >1-1.8 (near poverty) 11.9% >1.8 (nonpoor) 82.2% Maternal EducationMaternal Education No HS Degree 6.3% HS Degree or GED 19.7% Some College 33.2% College Degree or more 40.9% Child EthnicityChild Ethnicity White, Non-Hispanic 79.3% Black, Non-Hispanic 10.5% Hispanic 6.2% Other 4.1%
Child GenderChild Gender Male 51.7%
Two-Parent FamilyTwo-Parent Family
Yes 76.5%
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Data Collection Schedule
Major assessments were observation and interview Intervening phone contacts were made every 3 to 4 months in
early years, every 6 months later
Schedule of Assessments
Child Age (in months)
Assessment 1 6 15 24 36 54 1st 3rd 4th 5th 6th 9th
Family
Child Care/school
Child functioning
Child Care Measures
Observed quality assessed at 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months using 4-point scales Sensitivity, responsiveness, cognitive stimulation, not
detached,
Hours of non-relative care - Mother reports of hrs/wk from birth to kindergarten entry
% center type care - Mother reports of types of arrangements every 3-4 months (16 epochs in all)
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Distributions of Child Care Quality, Hours, and Center Type
Note: Quality categories: Low 1-2.75, Moderately Low 2.75 -3.00 Moderately High 3.00-3 30 High 3.30-4.00 Hours categories: Low 0- <10, Moderately Low 10- <30 Moderately High 30-40 High > 40 Center Low 0, Moderately Low 0-33% Moderately High 33-%67% High 67%-100%
Early Results
At age 15 months, no overall relations of child care to security of attachment to mother
Children in high quality care had better language development
Children in long hours of care had less sensitive mothers
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Results at Age 4 1/2
Child care quality Children in high quality child care in first 4 years had better pre-
academic skills and language skills
Child care quantity Children in long hours over 4 years had more behavior problems
at school More true in low quality and large groups of peers
Child care type Children with a lot of experience in center-type care had better
language skills, but also more behavior problems
Family characteristics mattered more than child care
Research Questions at Age 15
Does early child care predict academic achievement and behavioral adjustment at age 15?
If so, why? Are links between child care and age 15 outcomes a result of earlier effects of child care?
Are links different for children with different levels of family risk?
Adolescent Measures
Cognitive-Academic Achievement – standardized individual tests
Risk Taking – e.g., riding motorcycle without helmet
Impulsivity – difficulty in waiting, quick decisions
Externalizing behavior problems (e.g., aggression, delinquency) - youth report
Efforts to Reduce Selection Bias
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Early Childhood Middle Childhood Adolescence
Child Gender X
Child Ethnicity X
Income to needs ratio
X X X
Two parent household
X X X
Maternal Education X
Maternal PPVT X
Maternal Adjustment
X
Maternal Depression
X X X
Parenting Quality X X X
Classroom quality X X
Quality of Care
At age 15, youth who had received high quality preschool care had High cognitive-academic achievement Low rates of externalizing behavior
Quality and Academic Achievement
Observed Quality
What Effect Sizes Mean
Cognitive academic scores Average = 100 About 17% of population scores above 115 Comparing scores of youth with different levels of
child care quality: High (3.8) = 104 Middle (between 2.7 and 3.3) = 101 Low (2.0)= 98-99
Externalizing High quality about 2 fewer behavior problems
Quantity and Type of Care
At age 15, youth who had experienced high hours of care from birth to kindergarten had Higher risk taking Higher impulsivity No differences in externalizing
At age 15, youth who had experienced high amounts of center-type care did not differ from those who had less center-type care
Hours Effect Sizes
What Effect Sizes Mean
Externalizing – not statistically significant
Risk taking – Youth with high hours (>40) of care report about 1 more risky behavior (occasional) than those with average hours (10-30 hours)
Impulsivity – Youth with high hours of care (>40) report slightly more problems with impulse control than those with average hours
Why?
High quality care boosts language and cognitive skills early; these carry through the school years
High hours in care increase externalizing early; this pattern carries through the school years, manifesting in risk taking and impulsivity
High quality alleviates effects of high hours on externalizing
Conclusions
High quality child care predicts cognitive and academic achievement
High quality child care predicts reduced externalizing behavior problems
Long hours in child care predict impulsivity and risk taking
No lasting effects of center-type care
No evidence that effects differ by family risk
Effect sizes are small but important
Thank you!
Next Food for Thought
When: Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Where: Leander ISD
Title: Ready or Not? Desired Professional Skills for Our Entry Level Workforce: Results from 2010 AHRMA* Member Survey
*Austin Human Resources Management Association