Quality in Home-Based Child Care: Summary of Existing Measures and Indicators

• In Event: Equity Issues in Measurement of Home-Based Child Care Quality

Abstract

Many widely used measures of quality in home-based child care (HBCC) have their roots in measures of quality in center-based child care and early education (CCEE) that might not capture the features of care that researchers, families, and HBCC providers associate with quality in HBCC settings. Similarly, most existing Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) standards—and the indicators they use to assess HBCC settings—originated from standards developed for centers and might not capture valuable features that could be implemented differently or are more likely to occur in HBCC than in other CCEE settings.
This review of measures and associated research addresses two sets of research questions:
1. How well do existing quality measures and sets of indicators measure the features of HBCC quality? What is the evidence for validity and reliability of current measures and indicators?
2. What measures, indicators, or tools are needed to assess the features of HBCC quality in ways that provide reliable and valid data and are affordable and feasible for the end users (for example, HBCC providers, researchers, professional development providers)?
A scan of available measures and indicators identified 31 measures developed or adapted for use in HBCC and 46 sets of state QRIS indicators that have been used in HBCC settings. Researchers coded these measures for constructs assessed, with particular attention to constructs that a recent review of both quantitative and qualitative research identified as potentially important for quality in HBCC (Bromer, Porter, Jones, Ragonese-Barnes & Orland, 2021).
Most measures were designed for research and included self-report (58 percent) or direct observation (65 percent). Few were developed to account for features more likely to occur or to be implemented differently in HBCC settings. The differences in features are especially relevant for family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care. FFN providers care for the greatest percentage of children in care in the United States (Datta, Gebhardt & Zapata-Gietl, 2021), making it particularly important to understand and assess quality.
This paper summarizes the key features assessed across measures and indicators of quality, current gaps in measurement for HBCC, and the strengths and limitations of existing measures and indicators. Some constructs receive limited or no attention in the majority of the measures or indicators. For example, support for physical motor development and for supporting positive peer interactions, particularly in mixed age groups, are seldom found in measures (Figure 1 and Figure 2). In addition, most of the HBCC measures are aimed toward the needs of preschool children despite most HBCC providers caring for children birth through age 12. No measures assessed quality of care during nontraditional hours (i.e., care provided during evening, weekend, or overnight hours), and limited attention was given to the working conditions and other factors that affect the providers’ physical, emotional, and economic well-being. Psychometric evidence of validity is very limited for many of the measures.
The gaps in measurement have important implications for assessing quality and designing supports for HBCC providers. The implications and recommendations for addressing these gaps will be discussed.

Authors

• Ann Li, Mathematica Policy Research - Massachussetts
  Presenting Author

• Sally Atkins-Burnett, Mathematica