3-090 - Differential Effects of Early Child Care Quality on Children’s Behavioral Development

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

A large body of research has shown that high quality child care can be a means to promote children’s development (Yoshikawa et al., 2013). However, effects are often small and sometimes even non-existent. It has been suggested that these inconsistent findings can be explained by individual differences in effects of early child care (e.g., Phillips, Fox, & Gunnar, 2011; Pluess & Belsky, 2009). The current symposium aims to add important information on the identification of risk and supportive factors in children’s early behavioral development.

Three papers from different European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal) investigated whether the association between child care quality (assessed with the CLASS) and children’s behavioral development was moderated by an indicator of children’s temperament. The first paper examined whether the relation between different domains of child care quality and children’s behavioral functioning at age 4 was moderated by mother-rated effortful control. The second paper investigated whether effects of child care quality on child socio-emotional development at age 3 depended on observed affective self-regulation skills. Finally, the third paper examined for both at-risk and non-risk children separately whether effects of child care quality on children’s behavioral and emotional self-regulation skills at age 5 were moderated by teacher-rated negativity. The second and third paper also explored gender differences in effects of child care quality.

Discussion of communalities and differences of these studies, and their implications for promoting positive development, will be led by dr. Michael Pluess, an expert in the field of individual differences to environmental influences.

Sub Unit

• School Readiness/Childcare

Chair

• Martine Broekhuizen, Utrecht University

Discussant

• Michael Pluess, Queen Mary University of London

Individual Presentations

• Children’s Behavioral Adjustment in Preschool: Do we Only Have to Worry About Children With a Difficult Temperament? - Presenting Author: Antje von Suchodoletz, University of Freiburg; Ross A Larsen, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Individual Differences in Effects of Child Care Quality: The Role of Child Self-Regulation and Gender - Presenting Author: Martine Broekhuizen, Utrecht University; Marcel van Aken, Utrecht University; Judith Semon Dubas, Utrecht University; Hanna Mulder, Educational and Learning Sciences, Utrecht University; Paul PM Leseman, Utrecht University

• Child Care Quality for At-Risk and Non-Risk Children: Moderating Effects With Temperament and Gender - Presenting Author: Joana Cadima, Porto; Tiago Ferreira, University of Porto; Karine Verschueren, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven; Teresa Leal, University of Porto; Joana Vieira, University of Porto; Paula Mena Matos, University of Porto