Early Childhood Research Quarterly最新文献

{"title":"Child care tradeoffs among Massachusetts mothers","authors":"Sarah Ann Savage ,&nbsp;Wendy Wagner Robeson","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the U.S., licensed child care is funded through a mostly private market, constraining the supply of accessible high-quality care. Child care providers are limited in their ability to offer high-quality early child care that is easily accessible by parents across the economic spectrum. In a mostly private market, there is variation in options for early child care at the community- and provider-levels. Combine this with variable parental needs and preferences and it is easy to see how alignment is not always achievable (Weber, 2011). Constraints on the child care supply make fixing one or more aspects of child care possible only at the detriment of another. This is referred to as the child care trilemma (Morgan, 1986). This results in unequal and inequitable access to care across income levels. Lower-income families in particular face constraints in securing care that is strong on multiple care dimensions of affordability, quality, and availability when, where, and for whom they need it. We know that some parents confront forced choices or tradeoffs among aspects of care. This study aimed to understand the tradeoffs parents make in selecting the best care arrangements for their family. Between October 2019 and January 2020, we interviewed 67 mothers in Massachusetts whose child(ren) had not yet started kindergarten. We worked to understand the ways in which tradeoffs occurred and the implications of those tradeoffs by asking about mothers’ initial preferences and needs when first considering child care options relative to the choices they made. We found that 1) tradeoffs occurred along the multiple dimensions of care, 2) mothers used strategies to mitigate the consequences of tradeoffs, 3) tradeoffs varied in level of severity, 4) the more accessible the care, the less severe the tradeoff; and 5) tradeoffs varied in meaningful ways. These findings underscore the utility in applying a tradeoffs lens to assessing child care policy and practice in furtherance of equitable solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 104-113"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parenting styles from infancy to toddlerhood in Black/African American and Latina mothers with low incomes","authors":"Julia S. Feldman ,&nbsp;Yudong Zhang ,&nbsp;Elizabeth B. Miller ,&nbsp;Pamela A. Morris-Perez ,&nbsp;Julia A. Gajewski-Nemes ,&nbsp;Caitlin F. Canfield ,&nbsp;Alan L. Mendelsohn ,&nbsp;Daniel S. Shaw","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parenting in very early childhood (0-2 years) provides important context for children's socioemotional development. The present study aims to address limitations of extant parenting literature, namely the reliance on white, middle-class samples and use of variable-centered approaches that often mask the rich heterogeneity of parenting styles. Using data from an efficacy trial of a tiered parenting program to promote school readiness, the current study examined parenting styles across three waves when children were 6, 18, and 24 months with a sample of Black/African American and Latina mothers with low incomes using person-oriented, latent class analysis. Based on multiple fit indices and interpretability, a three-class model was found to best fit the data. Two of the three parenting classes were identified for both Black/African American and Latina groups across all three ages: one was characterized by high levels of sensitivity, positive regard, and language quality/quantity (High Support and Warmth) and the other was characterized by moderate levels of these indicators (Moderate/Low, Moderate, and Moderate/High Support and Warmth). The third class varied the most between groups and over time. For Black/African American mothers, the third class was characterized most notably by the level of directiveness (ranging from High at 6 months, Moderate at 18 months, and Low at 24 months). For Latina mothers, this class was characterized by varying levels of directiveness and stimulation that were High at 6 months and Moderate at 18 and 24 months. Within most classes, mean levels of parenting behaviors varied by age. Findings emphasize the importance of considering age, culture, and time when assessing maternal parenting from infancy to toddlerhood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 81-91"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is authorized capacity a good measure of child care providers’ current capacity? New evidence from Virginia","authors":"Katherine Miller-Bains,&nbsp;Stephen Yu,&nbsp;Daphna Bassok","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research has found demand for child care in the United States outpaces supply. However, the most widely available proxy for child care supply—authorized capacity—likely overestimates care availability in many studies. Authorized capacity represents the maximum children a provider can legally serve based on safety regulations and physical characteristics of the site. However, the slots available across sites can be constrained by factors not captured by authorized capacity, including the combination of ages currently enrolled and staffing at a site. If the gap between authorized capacity and “current capacity” is large, we stand to underestimate needed investments to improve access. This study quantifies the gap between providers’ current capacity as reported in a fall 2022 survey and authorized capacity per administrative records. Using data from 1,968 home- and center-based providers in Virginia, we find three key limitations of authorized capacity as a proxy of supply. First, providers’ current capacity was 74 % of their authorized capacity on average. Authorized capacity would overestimate child care availability by &gt;30,000 slots across the providers in our sample. Second, center-based providers that accepted child care subsidies and those in neighborhoods with a greater concentration of poverty or people of color had significantly larger discrepancies between their current and authorized capacity. Finally, we find centers that reported challenges hiring and retaining staff had larger gaps between their current and authorized capacity compared to providers that did not report staffing challenges. These findings suggest the need for measures that more accurately and dynamically capture the number of children a provider can serve to better describe and address access inequities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 92-103"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experiences of child care providers serving subsidy-receiving children involved in the child protective services system: Implications for equitable access","authors":"Yoonsook Ha ,&nbsp;Roberto S. Salva ,&nbsp;Juliann H. Nicholson ,&nbsp;Kate Giapponi Schneider ,&nbsp;Pamela Joshi ,&nbsp;Mary E. Collins ,&nbsp;Paripoorna Baxi","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Utilization rates of early care and education (ECE) programs among young children (ages 0-5) involved with child protective services (CPS) are significantly lower than those of all U.S. children in this age group (39% vs. 74%). Research on factors contributing to this disparity, potentially driven by inequitable access to care, is limited. Expanding access to quality ECE for CPS-involved children depends on ECE providers’ willingness and capacity to serve them, yet no studies have examined ECE providers’ experiences in this context. This study analyzes focus group data from 84 diverse ECE providers across Massachusetts who provide subsidized child care to CPS-involved children, aiming to understand providers’ experiences and identify resources and supports needed to meet these children's needs. Using the social ecological model, providers’ experiences are categorized into three major themes and subthemes: (1) individual factors (responding to critical needs of children, a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment through serving them, relevant knowledge and experience with the population), (2) child and family-related challenges (meeting children's behavioral needs, challenges in engaging with families, inconsistence attendance due to transportation), and (3) community and policy factors (need for resources and financial support, specialized trainings such as trauma-informed care, behavioral management, better information-sharing about children's circumstances, influence of foster care placement on child care settings, needs for greater subsidy policy flexibility). Implications for policymakers, ECE providers, and future research are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 70-80"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does Head Start or public Pre-Kindergarten enrollment matter? Associations with children's long-term school attendance in Baltimore City","authors":"Lieny Jeon ,&nbsp;Margaret R. Burchinal ,&nbsp;Sooyeon Byun","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study examined to what extent children's enrollment in Head Start and public Pre-Kindergarten (PreK) is associated with their absenteeism from kindergarten to fifth grade. Using a cohort of kindergarteners (5-years-old) in the Baltimore City Public Schools District (<em>n</em> = 7,447), Head Start and Pre-K enrollment and school attendance records were analyzed. About half of students were male (51 %), 80 % of students were Black, non-Hispanic, 9 % were White, non-Hispanic, 9 % were Hispanic, and 2 % identified as “Other” racial categories. Results indicated that children who were enrolled in Head Start or Pre-K had lower absence rates during the kindergarten year compared to those who were not enrolled in these ECE settings; the effect size was small to medium after controlling for child demographic factors and neighborhood characteristics. One of the neighborhood characteristics, measured by the Child Opportunity Index, was significantly and negatively associated with school absence rates with a small effect size. In addition, the gap in school attendance between the Head Start/PreK participants and non-Head Start/PreK participants persisted over time up to fifth grade without fading out. The findings suggest that it is critical to provide extended opportunities for children with socioeconomic challenges to access ECE programs prior to their schooling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 59-69"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142790073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding associations between early social-emotional screening status and primary school children´s social-emotional well-being in Finland","authors":"Päivi M.E. Pihlaja ,&nbsp;Piia-Kaisa Åminne ,&nbsp;Alice S. Carter ,&nbsp;Nina Sajaniemi","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study examined associations between social, emotional, and behavior (SEB) problems in toddlerhood and social and emotional strengths and difficulties at eight years of age. In addition, we were interested in associations between parental worry about the child´s psychosocial and language development in toddlerhood and social and emotional strengths and difficulties at age eight years. Participants were 554 children (52.7% boys) and their parents, involved in a longitudinal study with annual assessments. Parents rated children´s social-emotional competence at eighteen months, using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), and again at eight years, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Parental age, education, socio-economic status and income were applied as control variables. Sex effects were also investigated. Early SEB problems predict some, but not all, aspects of later SE development. While competence delay was associated with less prosocial behavior, SEB problems predicted only hyperactivity and conduct problems, not later peer problems or emotional symptoms. Parental worry, especially about child language development, was an important indicator of later SEB problems. Based on our study results, actions and interventions aiming to support children´s SE development throughout childhood should take into consideration its differentiated form and associations. Furthermore, parental worry about children´s language development should not be ignored when diagnosing SEB problems and competence delays.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 49-58"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142790106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating child care decision-making to understand access among families with low incomes","authors":"Jennifer K. Finders ,&nbsp;Guadalupe Díaz Lara ,&nbsp;Megan E. Pratt ,&nbsp;Inga J. Nordgren ,&nbsp;Wendy Ochoa","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the present study, we examine the extent to which demographic factors, including household subsidy receipt, predict child care access among families with low incomes. To operationalize access, we investigate parental decision-making factors that align with multiple dimensions of the family access framework (i.e., reasonable effort, affordability, support of child development, and meeting parent's needs; Thomson et al., 2020) during the search for a new child care arrangement. Data come from the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education and includes 779 low-income families (<em>m</em> annual income = $27,023.51, <em>SD</em> = $15,271.35) with children under the age of 5 who engaged in a child care search during the past two years. Results from logistic regression models revealed various patterns of access according to household race and ethnicity, the age of the child for whom the search was performed, degree of community urbanicity, and whether households received a child care subsidy in the past 12 months. Notably, families in households who received a subsidy had more than two times greater likelihood of finding child care during their search relative to families in households who did not receive a subsidy. Findings have implications for policies designed to expand access to underrepresented populations and in underserved areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 35-48"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142790107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new set of tools for capturing the language used by and with latine preschoolers: The index of sophisticated preschool vocabulary / Índice de vocabulario sofisticado pre-escolar","authors":"Adina Schick,&nbsp;Cassie Wuest,&nbsp;Gigliana Melzi","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Countless studies have highlighted the critical relation between children's vocabulary during the preschool years and their future academic success. Although much of this work has focused on the number of words young children are exposed to, another key aspect of children's vocabulary is their knowledge and use of sophisticated words. However, to date, there has been no systematic tool for capturing preschoolers’ vocabulary sophistication in both English and Spanish. Thus, the present study sought to develop, pilot, and explore the validity of a tool for capturing the sophisticated vocabulary used by and with young Latine children. Findings resulted in the creation and validation of the <em>Index of Sophisticated Preschool Vocabulary (ISP-English) / Índice de vocabulario sofisticado pre-escolar (ISP-Spanish)</em>, tools that can support researchers and educators in accurately and equitably capturing Latine preschoolers’ exposure to and use of sophisticated vocabulary.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 26-34"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142746122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why is ECE enrollment so complicated? An analysis of barriers and co-created solutions from the frontlines","authors":"Kristen A Copeland ,&nbsp;Alexis Amsterdam ,&nbsp;Heather Gerker ,&nbsp;Desire Bennett ,&nbsp;Julietta Ladipo ,&nbsp;Amy King","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous studies have examined the processes parents use in accessing early care and education (ECE) for their children and the barriers parents face to enroll. To our knowledge, previous studies have not engaged both parents and frontline ECE enrollment staff as co-investigators to examine family perspectives and a systems perspective simultaneously. This qualitative study compiled a research team of diverse (family, provider, academic) perspectives combining principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and human-centered design in peer-led qualitative interviews (<em>n</em> = 20), focus groups (<em>n</em> = 5) with local ECE staff and managers, and several community synthesis and design sessions (<em>n</em> = 6) with caregivers, ECE staff, and local thought leaders in Cincinnati, Ohio. The goals of the study were to: 1) identify policy-relevant and system-level barriers that keep families with low incomes or families of color from enrolling in high-quality ECE programs and 2) co-design potential policy- and system-interventions or prototypes with parents and local ECE agency partners to overcome these barriers. Nine types of barriers in three categories were elucidated by parents and ECE staff: 1) enrollment barriers such as parents’ lack of awareness of options, excessive and redundant paperwork, outdated technologies used, and lack of transparency paired with poor follow-up communication from ECE staff; 2) practical and logistical barriers such as cost, transportation, and concerns about COVID; and 3) human-factors concerns related to safety, trust, and diversity of ECE environment. Peer researchers co-created eight policy- or system- prototypes or interventions to address these barriers. While our findings suggest that access challenges remain ubiquitous locally, they also demonstrate what is possible when researchers and policymakers intentionally involve targeted users of ECE policy in the designs of those policies and systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 12-25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142746121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring home visitors’ use and perceptions of developmental monitoring: A mixed methods study","authors":"Sarah Behrens ,&nbsp;Lisa A. Mische Lawson ,&nbsp;Kathryn Bigelow ,&nbsp;Evan Dean ,&nbsp;Alice Zhang ,&nbsp;Lauren H. Foster ,&nbsp;Mindy S. Bridges","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developmental monitoring is an early identification practice essential to identifying a developmental disability in young children. Families play a critical role in developmental monitoring and report greater reliance on community-based programs than on their children's physician to support child development; however, little research has focused on the role of community-based home visitors. We sought to understand home visitors’ experiences with families of young children specific to the recommended developmental monitoring components. Using a mixed methods approach, we surveyed 72 home visitors and interviewed 7 home visitors through focus groups. Results showed that home visitors used the recommended developmental monitoring components with several significant relationships, as well as the overall combined facilitating factors and combined use of the developmental monitoring components. Home visitors experienced varying facilitating factors and barriers, including the use of child development screening tools, cultural and linguistic diversity, and others. These findings indicate that the inclusion of home visitors in developmental monitoring is valuable to early identification practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}