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Child Care: Lessons from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project

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Many families need child care, regardless of program model ... Child Care Data Came From 3 Sources ... Increase in needs for child care ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Child Care: Lessons from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project


1
Child CareLessons from the Early Head Start
Research and Evaluation Project

January 2003
2
Why Study Child Care in Early Head Start?
  • Advisory Committee on Services for Families with
    Infants and Toddlers recommended
  • Many families need child care, regardless of
    program model
  • All Early Head Start children need child care of
    good quality, whether the program provides it or
    not
  • Performance Standards provide high bar for
    quality for children in group care

3
Child Care Data Came From 3 Sources
  • Early Head Start Implementation Study 3 site
    visits to 17 research sites
  • Parent services data 7,16, and 28 months after
    program enrollment (program and control)
  • Observations of child care settings when children
    were 14, 24, and 36 months old using measures of
    child care quality

4
Policy and Economic Context Increased the Need
for Child Care
  • Welfare reform enacted July 1996, as research
    programs began enrolling families
  • Strong economy with low unemployment rates
  • Increase in needs for child care
  • Some programs changed their approach based on
    family child care needs

5
Programs Had Alternative Approaches to
Providing Child Care
  • Center-based on-site Early Head Start centers
  • Home-based some partnerships with community
    centers and home providers
  • Mixed-approach some on-site Early Head Start
    centers some partnerships with community centers
    and home providers
  • All approaches some families found other care

6
Programs Took Steps to Enhance Child Care
Quality Quantity
  • NAEYC accreditation
  • Formal partnerships between EHS programs and
    community child care partners
  • Staff changes and building renovations to meet
    the Performance Standards
  • Ongoing quality monitoring
  • Visiting EHS children in community centers
  • Training for child care staff EHS and community
  • Community collaborations
  • New resources

7
Child Care Use Increased asChildren Got Older
8
Center Care Was Most Common, Followed by Relative
Care at Age 3
Percentage of Families
9
Several Other Trends Were Discovered
  • Nonstandard hours
  • Concurrent arrangements (15)
  • Movement in and out of child care

10
Most Parents Were Satisfied with Child Care
  • Most very satisfied with their program
    arrangement
  • 29 would change if cost were not a factor
  • 80 of those who would change would choose a
    center
  • Reasons for choosing a center parents wanted
    their child to learn better or be with other
    children

11
Quality Good in EHS Centers, Lower in Community
Centers, Lowest in Family Child Care Homes
Mean ITERS, ECERS-R, FDCRS
12
Child-Adult Ratios in Center-Based Care Bettered
Performance Standards
6 6 to 1 ratio 4 4 to 1 ratio
13
Early Head Start Families Used More Child Care
Than Control Families
Percentage of Families
14
EHS Children More Likely to be in Good Quality
Center Care
Percentage of Families
15
Quality Mattered for Early Head Start Childrens
Development
  • Higher quality better cognitive development at
    24 months and better language development at 36
    months.
  • More time in center care better cognitive
    development at both 24 and 36 months better
    language at 36. Overall, more time in center
    care not related to child aggressive behavior.

16
Conclusions
  • Most Early Head Start children are in child care.
  • Early Head Start programs consistently delivered
    good quality in on-site centers.
  • Early Head Start programs are enhancing quality
    in community settings.

17
Conclusions (cont.)
  • Quality in community centers went up over time
    and as children got older, but quality in family
    care remains a concern.
  • Early Head Start increased the chances of
    children receiving quality center-based care.
  • Quality matters for childrens development.

18
How Can Early Head Start Build on a Good
Beginning?
  • Rely on the Head Start Performance Standards as a
    basis for quality
  • Build and fine-tune partnerships with community
    providers
  • Focus on supports for quality among relative
    caregivers, in family child care homes, during
    nonstandard hours, and in childrens secondary as
    well as primary arrangements
  • Support stability in child care
  • Measure quality in all settings and use
    assessments for continuous improvement
  • CELEBRATE GOOD WORK IN THE AREA OF CHILD CARE!

19
For More Information
http//www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/core/ongoing_resea
rch/ehs/ehs_intro.html
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