ERIC Number: EJ1308831
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Oct
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-1890
EISSN: N/A
Teacher, Center, and Neighborhood Characteristics Associated with Variations in Preschool Quality in Childcare Centers
Bayly, Benjamin L.; Bierman, Karen L.; Jacobson, Linda
Child & Youth Care Forum, v50 n5 p779-803 Oct 2021
Background: Childcare programs serving preschool children are generally of poorer quality than publicly-funded preschools both in terms of their classroom processes and structural features. Research on childcare programs has typically collapsed them into a single group, yet these programs vary greatly in neighborhood disadvantage and organization as they are managed by for-profit chains, non-profit community organizations, faith-based organizations, or individual owners. Little is known about variations in childcare program quality and what factors are associated with quality. Objective: The current study utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) with classroom process, structural features, and neighborhood disadvantage indicators to identify patterns of quality and neighborhood disadvantage within a diverse sample of childcare programs serving preschool children. Methods: Classroom processes (instructional support, emotional support, classroom management, positive discipline) and structural features (teacher age, experience, education, and satisfaction) data was collected from preschool teachers (N = 127) from 76 childcare programs. Neighborhood disadvantage (median income; rates of unemployment, single parents, and education) was measured using census tract data. Results: LPA indicated two profiles of childcare programs with high-quality classroom processes and two with poorer processes. Both of the high-quality profiles were in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods and the two low-quality profiles were in more affluent neighborhoods. Subsequent analyses suggested quality covaried with management type with the lowest quality centers often run by for-profit chains. Conclusions: Connections between classroom processes, structural features, and neighborhood disadvantage are complex making it extremely challenging for parents to identify high-quality care for their children.
Descriptors: Neighborhoods, Community Characteristics, Child Care Centers, Educational Quality, Preschools, Federal Programs, Classroom Techniques, Disadvantaged, Private Sector, Nonprofit Organizations, Religious Organizations, Family Environment, Preschool Children, Caregiver Child Relationship, Teacher Student Relationship, Discipline, Teacher Characteristics, Preschool Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Profiles, Census Figures, Comparative Analysis, Family Income, Program Administration, Social Differences, Advantaged
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (DHHS/PHS); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: P50DA010075; T32DA017629; R01HD079410