Characteristics of Children's Early Care and Education Programs: Data from the211 1995 National Household Education Survey

摘要

This report examines the characteristics of the care and education children211u001ereceive on a regular basis before they enter school. In doing so, it addresses 211u001efour questions that have surfaced with the prevalence of nonparental child care 211u001eand children's increased participation in early child-hood education programs: 211u001eWere children at greater risk of school failure 1 less likely than other children 211u001eto be in education programs or nonparental care arrangements that facilitate 211u001echild development; Where did parents get information about their child care 211u001earrangements; In particular, was the cost of child care a good indicator of its 211u001equality; What were parents' preferences regarding nonparental child care and 211u001eearly childhood education programs; Were parents' preferences reflected in the 211u001etypes and characteristics of their children's primary nonparental care 211u001earrangements or early childhood education programs; Did parents get what they 211u001ewanted. To address these issues, this report focuses on various characteristics 211u001eof child care arrangements that can be categorized into two groups: those that 211u001ehave been associated with children's development, and those that stem from 211u001eparental concerns other than child development, such as staying within budgets or 211u001emaintaining work schedules. Of the former, this study includes the following: the 211u001eamount of time children spend in nonparental care; the number of different 211u001enonparental arrangements in which a given child is cared for; the ratio of 211u001echildren to staff; whether the teacher or child care provider was trained in 211u001echild development; whether the care arrangement or education program offered 211u001eservices such as health or psychological screening; whether parent involvement in 211u001ethe program was encouraged; and whether the teacher or care provider spoke 211u001eEnglish to the child most of the time.