The American Psychological Association (APA) supports initiatives to improve the affordability, availability, and safety of quality child care for children. High quality child care involves compliance with adequate health and safety requirements, staff training in child development, low child-to-caregiver ratios, and other considerations. High quality child care is especially critical for children of low-income working families and families transitioning from welfare.

Background

Increasing numbers of children are in child care. Of the approximately 21 million American children under age six in 1997 who were not already in school, about 31% were cared for by parents, 30% by child-care centers, 22% by relatives, 11% by family day-care homes, and 6 percent by sitters or nannies. Since 1965, the percentage of children of employed mothers in child care centers has risen from 6% to 32%.

Many parents prefer center-based care. Survey data suggest that working women prefer centers because of greater parental control, perceived child safety, and dependability.

Research Findings on Quality Child Care

There is agreement about what constitutes quality child care. Experts agree that health and safety requirements, developmentally appropriate activities, limited group size, adequate staff training in child development and early childhood education, warm staff-child interactions, adequate staff salaries, and adequate indoor and outdoor space are key components of quality child care. Appropriate child-to-caregiver ratios, group sizes, and qualifications are probably the most critical.

The quality of child care has a significant impact on later child development. Many studies have shown a relationship between quality of child care and later language and cognitive development, social competence, peer interactions, and overall adjustment.

Compared to other options, quality child care yields more positive benefits for poor children. Several research studies have shown that poor children in high-quality child care show better school achievement and social behavior in later years than similar children who were not in child care or who were in low quality child care.

Poor families often must choose lower quality care, because their options are more restricted. Poorer families frequently must choose child care based on cost and availability, rather than quality. This increases the likelihood that their children will be placed in lower quality child care settings.

Special needs children also need care. Parents of special needs children frequently report lack of appropriate child care for their children, especially as their children grow older.

Recommendations

• Child care must be affordable, available, safe, and accessible for all children, including special needs children.



• The quality of child care can be improved by addressing key issues in staff training, group size, and child-to-caregiver ratios.



• Continued research and evaluation is needed to help state and local agencies improve both the quality of child care and long-term outcomes for children in child care.

For more information on this Congressional Briefing, go follow these links:

• Professional Education for Teachers of Young Children, Barbara T. Bowman



• Early Childhood Care and Education, Robert C. Pianta



• Demographic Trends, Sandra Hofferth

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