Better Caregiver Training, Smaller Childcare Classes Lead to Improved Cognitive and Social Skills in Children, According to New Research

A new study published in the May 2002 issue of the journal Psychological Science finds that better caregiver training and lower staff-child ratios in childcare settings lead to improvements in children's cognitive skills and social competence. The study, which comes out of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, is the first to provide a link from certain characteristics of childcare that are regulated by states, such as caregiver training and child-staff ratios, to improved cognitive and social development in children.

According to Kathleen McCartney, Harvard Graduate School of Education professor and co-investigator on this study, better training and smaller child-staff ratios "lead to better, as well as more, interactions between children and adults, which in turn lead to improvement in children's cognitive and social competence." These findings remained constant regardless of where the care took place or whether caregiving was provided by teachers in child-care settings, by relatives, or by other in-home providers.

"These findings provide strong support for policies that improve regulations and standards for childcare workers," says McCartney. "In other words, they refute claims that state regulations of the child care industry are not necessary. Because children in poorer families are more likely to experience poor-quality child care, the data suggest that high-quality child care might serve as an important early childhood intervention for children living in poverty."

The study, "Child-Care Structure, Process, Outcome: Direct and Indirect Effects of Child-Care Quality on Young Children's Development," also finds that the quality of maternal caregiving is the strongest predictor of a child's cognitive competence and a moderate predictor of social competence.

Data used in this study were collected as part of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The study tracked over 1,000 children from birth through 6th grade to examine the effects of early childcare on areas such as parent-child relationships, child development, and a child's later success in transitioning to school. Data were collected from parents' and caregivers' ratings and laboratory assessments. McCartney, a professor at HGSE, serves as an investigator in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.

Psychological Science is published bimonthly by the American Psychological Society. It explores research, theory, and application in psychology and related sciences.

Experts Available

• Kathleen McCartney, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 617-496-1182, kathleen_mccartney@gse.harvard.edu
• Margaret Burchinal, University of North Carolina, 919-966-5059, burchinal@unc.edu
• Margaret Tresch Owen, University of Texas, Dallas, 972-883-6876, mowen@utdallas.edu
• Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University, 215-204-3103, Kathryn.hirsh-pasek@temple.edu
• Sarah Friedman, NICHD, 301-435-6946, friedmas@hd01.nichd.nih.gov

For More Information

Contact Margaret R. Haas at 617-496-1884 or margaret_haas@harvard.edu.