Abstract
This paper presents findings from a stratified-random survey of family child care providers’ backgrounds, caregiving environments, practices, attitudes, and knowledge related to language, literacy, and mathematics development for preschool children. Descriptive results are consistent with prior studies suggesting that home-based providers are older, less educated, and care for a wider age-range of children than center-based providers. Provider education was unrelated to performance on the knowledge assessment and to endorsed learning goals and practices whereas years of experience demonstrated some relations with caregiving practices but was negatively related to pedagogical knowledge. Providers favorably endorse regular implementation of educationally-related activities and play with literacy- and math-related materials, but may lack the specific expertise and curricular support to best support the early development of key early language, literacy, and math skills.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnett, J. (1989). Caregivers in day-care centers: Does training matter? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 10, 541–552.
Arnold, D. H., & Doctoroff, G. L. (2003). The early education of socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 517–545.
Bailey, D. B., McWilliam, R. A., Ware, W. B., & Burchinal, M. A. (1993). Social interactions of toddlers and preschoolers in same-age and mixed-age play groups. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 14, 261–276.
Broberg, A. G., Wessels, H., Lamb, M. E., & Hwang, C. P. (1997). Effects of day care on the development of cognitive abilities in 8-year-olds: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 33, 62–69.
Burchinal, M. R., & Cryer, D. (2003). Diversity, child care quality, and developmental outcomes. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18, 401–426.
Burchinal, M. R., Howes, C., & Kontos, S. (2002). Structural predictors of child care quality in child care homes. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17, 87–105.
Cassidy, D. J., Hestenes, L. L., Hegde, A., Hestenes, S., & Mims, S. (2005). Measurement of quality in preschool child care classrooms: An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the early childhood environment rating scale-revised. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 20, 345–360.
Chase, R., Moore, C., Pierce, S., & Arnold, J. (2007). Child care workforce in Minnesota: 2006 statewide study of demographics, training and professional development. St. Paul, MN: Wilder Research.
Chazan-Cohen, R., Raikes, H., Brooks-Gunn, J., Ayoub, C., Pan, B. A., Kisker, E. E., et al. (2009). Low-income children’s school readiness: parent contributions over the first five years. Early Education and Development., 20, 958–977.
Clarke-Stewart, K. A., Vandell, D. L., Burchinal, M. R., O’Brien, M., & McCartney, K. (2002). Do regulable features of child care homes affect children’s development? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17, 52–86.
Clifford, R., Barbarin, O., Chang, F., Early, D., Bryant, D., Howes, C., et al. (2005). What is pre-kindergarten? Characteristics of public pre-kindergarten programs. Applied Developmental Science, 9, 126–143.
Cunningham, A. E., Zibulsky, J., & Callahan, M. D. (2009). Starting small: Building preschool teacher knowledge that supports early literacy development. Reading and Writing, 22, 487–510.
Davis, E. E., & Connelly, R. (2005). The influence of local price and availability on parents’ choice of child care. Population Research and Policy Review, 24(4), 301–334.
Doherty, G., Forer, B., Lero, D. S., Goelman, H., & LaGrange, A. (2006). Predictors of quality in family child care. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 296–312.
Dowsett, C. J., Huston, A. C., Imes, A. E., & Gennetian, L. (2008). Structural and process features in three types of child care for children from high and low income families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23, 69–93.
Early, D. M., Maxwell, K. L., Burchinal, M., Alva, S., Bender, R. H., Bryant, D., et al. (2007). Teachers’ education, classroom quality, and young children’s academic skills: Results from seven studies of preschool programs. Child Development, 78, 558–580.
Fukkink, R. G., & Anna Lont, A. (2007). Does training matter? A meta-analysis and review of caregiver training studies. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 22, 294–311.
Fuligni, A. S., Howes, C., Lara-Cinisomo, S., & Karoly, L. (2009). Diverse pathways in early childhood professional development: An exploration of early educators in public preschools, private preschools, and family child care homes. Early Education & Development, 20, 507–526.
Fuller, B., Kagan, S. L., Loeb, S., & Chang, Y. (2004). Child care quality: Centers and home settings that serve poor families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19, 505–527.
Goelman, H., Forer, B., Kershaw, P., Doherty, G., Lero, D., & LaGrange, A. (2006). Towards a predictive model of quality in Canadian child care centers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 280–295.
Guzman, L., Forry, N., Zaslow, M., Kinukawa, A., Rivers, A., Witte, A., et al. (2009). Design Phase: National study of child care supply and demand 2010: Literature review and summary. Washington, DC: Authors.
Harms, T., & Clifford, R. M. (1989). Family day care rating scale. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Harvard Educational Review. (2004). Multiple Pathways to early academic achievement. Harvard Educational Review, 74, 1–28.
Howes, C., & Hamilton, C. E. (1993). The changing experience of child care: Changes in teachers and in teacher-child relationships and children’s social competence with peers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 8, 15–32.
Kontos, S., Howes, C., Shinn, M., & Galinsky, E. (1995). Quality in family child care and relative care. New York, NY: Columbia University Teachers College Press.
Korth, B. B., Sharp, A. C., & Culatta, B. (2010). Classroom teachers’ classroom modeling of supplemental literacy instruction: Influencing the beliefs and practices of classroom teachers. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 31, 113–127.
Kryzer, E. M., Kovan, N., Phillips, D. A., Domagall, L. A., & Gunnar, M. R. (2007). Toddlers’ and preschoolers’ experience in family day care: Age differences and behavioral correlates. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Special Issue, 22, 451–466.
Lanigan, J. D. Family child care providers’ perspectives regarding effective professional development and their role in the child care system: A qualitative study. Early Childhood Education Journal (in press).
Li-Grining, C. P., & Coley, R. L. (2006). Child care experiences in low-income communities: developmental quality and maternal views. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 125–141.
Loeb, S., Fuller, B., Kagan, S. L., & Carroll, B. (2004). Child care in poor communities: Early learning effects of type, quality, and stability. Child Development, 75, 47–65.
Marshall, N. L., Creps, C. L., Burstein, N. R., Cahill, K. E., Wagner-Robeson, W., Wang, S. Y., et al. (2003). Family child care today. Cambridge, MA: Wellesley Centers for Women and Abt Associates, Inc.
National Institute of Child Health, Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network. (2002). Child-care structure, process, outcome: Direct and indirect effects of child care quality on your children’s development. Psychological Science, 13, 199–206.
National Institute of Child Health, Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network. (2004). Type of child care and children’s development at 54 months. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19, 203–230.
National Institute of Child Health, Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network & Duncan, G. J. (2003). Modeling the impacts of child care quality on children’s preschool cognitive development. Child Development, 74, 1454–1475.
Olfman, S. (2003). All work and no play: How educational reforms are harming our preschoolers. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Phillips, B. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2005). Social correlates of emergent literacy. In C. Hulme & M. Snowling (Eds.), The science of reading: A handbook (pp. 173–187). London: Blackwell.
Raikes, H. A., Raikes, H. H., & Wilcox, B. (2005). Regulation, subsidy receipt, and provider characteristics: What predicts quality in child care homes? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 20, 164–184.
Roberts, T. (2009). No limits to literacy for preschool English language learners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Saluja, G., Early, D. M., & Clifford, R. M. (2002). Demographic characteristics of early childhood teachers and structural features of early care and education in the United States. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4, 3–40.
Sylva, K., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Taggart, B., Sammons, P., Melhuish, E., Elliot, K., et al. (2006). Capturing quality in early childhood through environmental rating scales. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 76–92.
Votruba-Drzal, E., Coley, R. L., & Chase-Lansdale, P. L. (2004). Child care and low-income children’s development: Direct and moderated effects. Child Development, 75, 296–312.
Vu, J., Jeon, J. H., & Howes, C. (2008). Formal education, credential, or both: Early childhood program classroom practices. Early Education and Development, 19, 479–504.
Wight, V. R., Chau, M., & Aratani, Y. (2010). Who are America’s poor children: The official story. New York, NY: National Center for Children in Poverty.
Acknowledgment
Funding for this project was provided to the first author from the Florida State University Council on Research and Creativity.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Phillips, B.M., Morse, E.E. Family Child Care Learning Environments: Caregiver Knowledge and Practices Related to Early Literacy and Mathematics. Early Childhood Educ J 39, 213–222 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-011-0456-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-011-0456-y