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Providing high quality child care

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Abstract

The trend toward a growing proportion of American women employed outside the home is clear. One- and two-parent families, often out of economic necessity, are seeking alternative care arrangements for their infants and preschool-aged children. As many are experiencing full-day, alternative child care during part or all of their developmentally crucial first five years, there is a need to focus on the quality of day care. Several recent reviews of center-based day care research have portrayed this experience as a relatively benign influence on the development of young children provided that a high level of quality is maintained (Belsky & Steinberg, 1978; Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Etaugh, 1979). What are the implications of this research for child care providers? If it is true that high quality child care has a benign effect on young children's development, what can child care providers do to ensure quality care?

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Authors

Additional information

Joanne R. Nurss and Ruth A. Hough are both Professors of Early Childhood Education at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

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Nurss, J.R., Hough, R.A. Providing high quality child care. Early Childhood Educ J 11, 33–35 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01616767

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