Child health, Cognition and Behavior: Domain-Specific Estimates of the Effects of Child Care Quality Using Several Large-Scale Datasets

The broad objective of our research is to assess the strength of the associations between domain-specific aspects of the quality of child care and child outcomes. Within this broad objective, we address the following specific research questions for cognitive, behavioral, and health outcomes: Cognition: • Do measures of quality conceptually linked to cognition explain the higher average cognitive outcomes for children cared for in centers versus homes? • Are the effect sizes of domain-specific quality on cognitive outcomes in community-based care closer to those of model interventions, in contrast to effect sizes reported in prior studies using global quality? • Are domain-specific qualities of child care associated with approaches to learning and math skills? Behavior: • Do measures of quality aligned specifically to social competence and emotional regulation explain the elevated behavior problems observed among children who spend long hours in large group care? Health: • Are health-specific aspects of child care quality associated with child health. For example, are materials and opportunities for motor activities associated with better motor development and better overall health? Is disease spread reduced to the lower levels seen in homes when community-based centers use stringent infection control practices?