Long-Term Implications of Early Child Care Systems on Children’s Educational Functioning through Mother- and Child-Level Mechanisms

• In Event: Non-Parental Child Care: An International Perspective on Behavioral and Academic Outcomes

Abstract

Every week in the United States, nearly 11 million children younger than age five spend over 35 hours per week in nonparental child care (Child Care Aware of America, 2016). The majority of research investigating relations between child care and child outcomes has focused primarily on organized group care (e.g., center-based child care). Research from model early childhood programs and community-based child care settings shows that organized group care can foster positive short- and long-term development in children and can be considered a contextual asset specifically for children facing adversities (e.g., low-income, poverty, negative caregiving experiences, poor psychosocial functioning, challenging home environments; Campbell et al., 2012; Caughy et al., 1994). Although studies have investigated the impact of organized group care on the development of children from families living in poverty, few studies have focused specifically on children of adolescent mothers. Moreover, there is limited research exploring the pathways through which child care may influence developmental trajectories. The current study investigated associations between early child care participation and children’s later educational outcomes and mechanisms by which child care may foster positive development.
The sample was 704 mothers (Mage = 18.76 at childbirth) and their children (53% boys) enrolled in an evaluation of a home visiting program for young parents (< 21 years). Data were collected from infancy to early childhood. 37% of mothers self-identified as non-Hispanic White, 19% non-Hispanic Black, 8% Hispanic, and 36% non-Hispanic other. Interviews and standardized questionnaires were used to assess constructs of interest.
Path analyses were conducted using R version 3.6.2 (R Core Team, 2019). Children’s standardized Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores on English language arts (ELA) and math in third grade were included in the model as endogenous variables, children’s school readiness as assessed using the Bracken School Readiness Assessment, 3rd Ed (Bracken, 2007) and maternal involvement in literacy-related activities assessed using the Home Literacy Environment Questionnaire (Lonigan & Farver, 2002) when children were almost 5 years old as exogenous mediating variables, and use of organized group care prior to kindergarten as an exogenous variable. Maternal age at childbirth, race/ethnicity, language, education, child sex, whether child qualified for free and reduced lunch, and program participation were included as covariates in the model.
Children who participated in organized group care prior to kindergarten scored better on the school readiness assessment (γ=4.63, p=.03), and higher scores on school readiness were associated with better math (β=.52, p<.001) and ELA (β=.42, p<.001) scores in third grade. Formal tests indicated both indirect paths were significant (p=.04). Participation in organized group care was directly associated with children’s scores on math (γ=5.68, p=.04), but not ELA. Organized group care was not associated with maternal involvement in literacy-related activities, nor was involvement associated with ELA or math scores.
These findings have important program and policy implications highlighting the long-term benefits of organized group care, the importance of school readiness, and of promoting high quality and increased access to child care for children living in challenging contexts.

Authors

• Rachel C Katz, Start Early
  Presenting Author

• Lauren E Stargel, American Institutes for Research - Illinois
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ann Easterbrooks, Tufts University
  Non-Presenting Author