Family engagement in childcare is important to ensure the optimal growth, development, and safety of children. Previous research has explored family engagement practices, but limited research is available on the application of theory to explain the uptake of family engagement principles. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and…

Given the substantial increase in children attending center-based childcare over the past decades, the consequences of center-based childcare for children's development have gained more attention in developmental research. However, the relation between center-based childcare and children's neurocognitive development remains relatively…

Low pay and unequal wages make it hard to recruit and retain the high-quality early educators that young children need to thrive in early care and education (ECE) programs. Not only are early educator wages lower than those of comparable workers, but there may also be racial and ethnic wage disparities within the ECE workforce. Using a…

Children under five are expelled at high rates from early learning settings, yet little research discusses the relationship between program quality and expulsion. This study examined the relationship between program quality (accreditation, quality rating system participation, child:teacher ratios, suggesting programs are not a match, administrator…

Developing healthy eating habits in childhood may support future healthy food choices. With most children spending some time outside of the home, child care facilities have the opportunity to positively influence children's eating habits. The purpose of this paper is to review recent research regarding foods served in child care settings and…

To understand the use of early care and education (ECE) programs in New Jersey, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a representative survey of parents of children under age 5 (not yet in kindergarten) about their use of (non-parental) child care. The survey was conducted between May 25th and June 13rd, 2022, with…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care, requires states to use information about the provider cost of child care to inform the setting of payment rates under the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) program. This requirement is consistent with the growing recognition that…

Research Findings: Driven by the universal two-child policy, the childcare services in China have stepped into a new era after 3-decade of neglect. This national study investigated the accessibility, quality, and administration of childcare services for children under age 3, by establishing a triangulation of survey, interview, and classroom…

Calls for innovation in education often focus on the need to prepare students for the future. Ensuring that we are supporting their empathy for others is an often overlooked, but critical, aspect of that preparation.

The early childhood education care (ECEC) practitioner landscape is complex and encompasses many roles including center-based and school-based administrative, teaching, and support staff as well as home-based unregulated child care family child care (FCC) providers and home-based regulated (e.g., registered or licensed) FCC providers who…

The purpose of this study is to describe the use of recorded music in child care centers during naptime. Using a cross-sectional survey design, administrators and teachers from 62 child care centers in Louisiana responded to an online questionnaire designed to gather information about children's sleep habits and teacher perceptions of music…

Millions of children in the United States live in rural areas and often start school with fewer school readiness skills than counterparts in urban areas. Access to high-quality child care could be a mechanism to improve school readiness; however, it is unclear what, if anything, distinguishes child care in rural and urban areas. Focusing…

Recent studies suggest that mind-mindedness is an important element of caregiver-child interactions in family and childcare context. This study investigated caregivers' mind-mindedness in a nationally representative Dutch sample and its relation with structural quality factors (i.e., group size, caregivers' education and work experience, group…

The adoption of interventions for infants and young children with disabilities/delays or at risk of disability/delay is likely to be influenced by sources other than research evidence. Where the available research evidence does influence the choice of intervention, there may be difficulties translating research that has been implemented in a…

Child care providers navigate a challenging and competitive industry, where the substantial cost of providing safe, quality care for children meeting all state standards has to be balanced against families' ability and willingness to pay for care. Operating a business where narrow profit margins can turn into significant deficits from one week to…