Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Another good article from Parents.com about what is essential to maintaining quality care for children. The article in written in the perspective of center based care, but the points are valid to ponder for family child care providers as well.
Research Findings about Day Care
1. Qualified staff is essential.
Research has consistently found that happy, nurturing, and well-qualified caregivers are essential to maintaining the quality of a day-care center. Warm relations between a child and his day-care teacher can lead to social and learning success, according to a study conducted by Dr. Clifford along with researchers from Yale, the University of Colorado, and the University of California at Los Angeles.In Dr. Clifford's study, researchers followed 826 preschoolers, enrolled in 183 classes, through second grade. They discovered that children who were close to their teachers got along better with other children, had fewer behavior problems, and developed stronger language skills than those who were not close to their caregivers. What's more, high-quality child-care was found to enhance a child's ability to take advantage of educational opportunities once in school.
Likewise, a teacher who gets to know a child is more inclined to understand and respond to him. And a child who feels securely attached to a teacher is apt to feel confident about exploring and learning. You should look for teachers who talk often -- and at eye level -- to each child. They should also be enthusiastic and respond warmly and quickly to a child's needs.
2. Staff stability is key.
Because such attachments take time to develop, parents should make sure that the staff at a day-care center is stable. Questions to ask the center director: Is there a primary caregiver assigned to each child or group of children, or is there a different teacher each day? How many caregivers typically leave each year? If the answer is more than half the number on staff, that's a sign of trouble, according to Barbara Willer, deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that accredits day-care centers.Inquire about incentives for retaining staff. Ask how much caregivers are paid, and find out how salaries compare to those at other local centers. If a day-care center doesn't pay competitively, teachers are likely to leave if a better-paying job comes up. Susan Gerrity, director of the Aquinas College Child Development Center, where Susan Stein sends her child, says turnover there stays low because most of her caregivers are employees of the college that runs the center. They receive health insurance, other benefits, and a starting salary of $19,000 -- still low, but higher than average.
Because labor is a center's biggest expense, many keep costs down by scrimping on salaries, which average a paltry $15,000 according to the Children's Defense Fund, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C. Dr. Clifford says that the highest-rated centers in his study also had the best-paid teachers. But this doesn't mean that expensive day-care centers necessarily pay staff members the most. Some centers can afford to pay extra because they are subsidized by the government, employers, community nonprofits, or colleges.
3. Class size and staff-child ratio are important.
Another key indicator of a quality center is the number of kids -- and teachers -- per class. The NAEYC recommends at least two caregivers for each group of 6 to 8 babies; two per group of 10 to 14 toddlers; and two for each preschool class, which should have no more than 20 kids.In its review of day-care centers, the NICHD study found that kids did best when centers maintained these standards. Toddlers and preschoolers scored higher on language and school-readiness tests and had fewer behavioral problems. Child-care experts say that's because small classes allow teachers to give more individual attention to each child.
4. Teachers should be trained.
Studies show a strong link between the day-care staff's educational background and a child's social and intellectual growth. Parents should choose centers whose caregivers are trained in early-childhood education and have several years of child-care experience. Look for staff with master's and bachelor's degrees in child development. Short of that, seek out a center whose caregivers have associate's degrees from community colleges.But Gerrity, the director of the Aquinas center, points out that paper credentials aren't everything. She says some of her teachers hold master's degrees while others are without college degrees but do have years of child-care experience. So she advises parents to observe classrooms. "It's often a gut-level reaction," she says. "If the children are engaged, if the teachers are on the floor talking, if the children are happy -- it could just feel right."
5. The right environment can foster learning.
At the Castle Square Child Development Center, in Boston, Joan Livingston's 3-year-old daughter, Alexis, can move around the room as she likes for part of the day, going from the puzzles to the water and sand tables to the computers. "They get to make their own choices. When children can't decide, a teacher will guide them," Livingston says.Studies have found that children fare best when they spend lots of time engaged in hands-on activities in art, science, math, dramatic play, and building. Parents should look for centers where the range of activities is broad and where teachers give the kids many opportunities to choose what to do. The University of North Carolina study gave centers top ratings if teachers encouraged independent thinking and enthusiasm for learning. Teachers should be reading books on different subjects, playing word games, and having ongoing conversations with the kids -- all of which stimulate language skills.
Watch out for centers where class structure is rigid or teachers are too controlling or punitive. Experts say that parents should ask how caregivers discipline kids for normal childhood behaviors and should look for opportunities to observe those methods in action.6. The number of hours in day care isn't the critical issue.
Once you've settled on the center, should you worry about how much time your child will spend there? The question is controversial: Some researchers involved in the NICHD study interpret the findings as proof that full-time day care can make kids rowdy and aggressive, but others disagree.The study did find that 17 percent of kindergarten kids who had spent 30 or more hours in child care a week as babies and preschoolers behaved more aggressively than kids who spent little time in day care. But as Dr. Friedman points out, the kids who misbehaved were not out of control but simply acting like typical boisterous preschoolers. She says that the research shows overall that a child's home environment is a much stronger influence on his behavior than the amount of time he spends in the care of others.
No matter how many hours your child is spending at a center, you should monitor the center's quality on an ongoing basis. Good centers have an "open-door" policy that allows parents to visit whenever they please. If moms and dads know what's going on, they can persuade centers to make improvements, from putting extra sand in the sandbox to sending teachers to attend special workshops. The payoff is priceless: a stronger foundation for your child's future social and academic success
Are you looking at these six principles? Is the care you provide of high quality? Are you qualified and trained? Is your care stable... are you in this for the long term or plan on quitting is a short time? Do you have an "open door" policy and encourage parents to attend and participate?