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Quality Child Care A UGUST 2002 URGENCY infants & toddlers RISES FOR QUALITY CHILD CARE The explosion of knowledge about early development is sending a clear message to policymakers: Children’s earliest experiences profoundly influence later intellectual and emotional functioning. High-quality care during the infant and toddler years — care that supports healthy cognitive, language, physical, and social-emotional development — is the cornerstone of later accomplishments, such as learning to read and getting along with others. Empirical evidence shows that investments in early development pay off in later school and social benefits. Yet many working parents find that child care, if available at all, is alarmingly substandard and expensive. This lack of quality care for children from birth to competent, attentive care in safe and interesting surround- age 3 and the absence of coherent policies supporting it ings. Moreover, the influence of culture is profound; its shap- jeopardize individual and societal well-being in the ing force is central to learning. United States. Conversely, policies can harness new child development knowledge to serve national priorities such The pivotal message is that stable, responsive relationships as school readiness and, notably, current federal initia- matter most. They shape how a child learns to see and act tives focused on early literacy. in the world, providing the foundation for lifelong learn- ing. From interactions with caregivers, infants learn about What kinds of policies would help ensure that infants and security, predictability, language, ways to structure and ac- toddlers — especially those from poor families — receive commodate new knowledge, and rules for moral conduct the nurturing, enriching, and responsive care they need and appropriate behavior. They learn how to regulate their to succeed in school and life? To help provide answers, emotions, behavior, and attention. this Policy Brief examines what research reveals about the kinds of relationships, experiences, and environments that foster healthy child development. It looks at impli- MANY AMERICAN BABIES DO NOT GET cations for structuring quality child care programs, points A GOOD START 2 to existing models, and identifies barriers. Finally, it of- fers policy implications and recommendations. • Close to 6 million infants and toddlers are cared for an average of 25 hours a week while their mothers work. What the Research Says •Sixty-one percent of mothers with children under 3 In its recent landmark analysis of early childhood are employed, earning about a third of the family Focused on the care research, the National Academy of Sciences concluded that income. early childhood development is even more rapid, dra- of children from birth to matic, and important than we already knew.1 The nature •A third of families receiving welfare have children age 3, this early versus nurture debate has given way to an age 2 or younger; almost half the states require childhood Policy Brief emphasis on the interplay between genetics and women with children under 1 to work. environment, and how early childhood development is is a companion to •Quality is inadequate in 92 percent of infant- enormously subject to that interplay. Underscoring infants’ our brief on preschoolers, toddler programs; 40 percent are rated less than active participation in their own development, findings minimal. In some cases, the care is damaging.3 available at stress how babies’ inborn drive to learn is helped or www.WestEd.org/policy. hobbled by the extent to which their caregivers provide • Child care center staff are often untrained and poorly paid. The turnover rate is 40 percent annually; one in three family home care providers leave the field.4 INFANTS & TODDLERS “courses” is the foundation for developing QUALITY INFANT–TODDLER SERVICES WORK skills needed in school and life, including cause-effect relationships, the use of lan- Early Head Start (EHS) is a high quality child-and-family-development services guage, the development of memory, and 8 program initiated in 1996 for low-income families by the U.S. Department of Health how to get along with others. A toddler and Human Services. A recent study5 conducted looked at 3000 children, half of whom pretending that a paper plate is a steering received EHS services during their first three years of life. The study found that, wheel is beginning to think symbolically — a necessary precursor for such skills as read- compared to the control group, EHS children did better on tests of cognitive, language, ing and writing. Such learning happens in and social development and their parents read more to them, were more supported, an integrated, rather than linear, way. It spanked them less, and were more likely to provide homes that support literacy and does not require infants and toddlers to be- learning. When programs are able to provide the quality comprehensive services called have like school-age children; for example, for in the Head Start Program Performance Standards, they have greater positive impact by following arbitrary schedules or per- on children and parents. EHS, still relatively new, is leading the way. Its development forming tasks unrelated to their abilities or should inform many infant and toddler policy initiatives. interests. On the contrary, it builds on each child’s innate desire to learn and grow. Partnered with support services. A qual- When an anxious or frightened child re- and be able to provide each child with care ity center or child care home functions as ceives a prompt soothing response from that is culturally attuned, supportive of ba- a hub or resource for medical and dental her caregiver, the foundation is being laid bies’ urge to discover and explore, and care, mental health prevention and inter- for later efforts such as paying attention understanding of toddlers’ differing styles vention services, social services, home vis- in school or persisting on a and temperaments. Well-trained caregivers iting programs, and early intervention for difficult task. Conversely, a child whose observe and record each child’s develop- children with, or at risk for, special needs crying is ignored or draws punishment is ment and use that information to identify and disabilities. more likely to be anxious and have diffi- special needs and communicate with par- culty focusing outward on the world ents. They know that the human brain con- Evaluated. Quality indicators include a low around her.6 tinues to develop after birth and under- caregiver turnover rate; educated providers; stand their critical role in a child’s mo- high levels of parent involvement; and early What This Means for Infant- ment-to-moment construction of himself. detection of, and intervention with, health, Toddler Child Care Professionals of this caliber must be ad- language, or learning problems. equately compensated or they will leave Such findings offer guideposts for quality the field. care. To provide fertile environments for early childhood’s fast-paced cognitive, lan- Organized in small groups that stay to- MILITARY ABOUT-FACE guage, social, and emotional growth, child gether over time, with low child-to-staff care programs need a strong philosophi- ratios. Keeping caregivers and groups of Child care under the U.S. Department of cal and professional base, something most children together for at least three years Defense was transformed in a decade from now lack. Policies must guarantee that pro- provides needed continuity in personal re- grams are: lationships. To support those relationships, inadequate to a model. How? The military ratios must be significantly lower than most revamped and made a major investment in its Relationship-based. Programs must be states currently require. Conversely, large structured so that each child has a sus- child care system. One key to its success has been groups can be overwhelming and stressful, tained relationship with a primary mandating rigorous standards for the 300 centers caregiver who knows the infant’s needs, adversely affecting relationship develop- likes, dislikes, and language. Emotional at- ment and focused learning. serving 170,000 children worldwide. Another has tachment and trust then develop. Con- been ensuring training and good pay for Designed around infant-toddler interests. versely, a child’s repeated loss of caregivers Infant-toddler care should start with a caregivers – which shrank the turnover rate from causes stress, insecurity, disruption in the child’s development, and frequently leads child’s interests and enable the caregiver 48 to 24 percent in four years. Though costs rose 7 to adapt to, encourage, and expand on to aggression. from $90 million to $352 million, the system those interests. A quality program is at- Staffed by knowledgeable professionals tuned to four areas: social relationships, in- pays for itself in terms of workforce stability and who are adequately compensated and tellectual problem solving, language devel- healthy child development.9 supported. Caregivers must know the opment, and physical development. stages of infant and toddler development A child’s mastery of these life-competency 02 WestEd 03 Barriers to Quality Care subsidies, identification or development of model programs, and policies that support LESSONS FROM STATE INITIATIVES The major barrier to improved care is a relationship-based care are significant ways national absence of early childhood sys- to support workforce stability and profes- Though no state has developed a 10 tems. The norm is
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