Early Child Care and Children’s Development Prior to School Entry: Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care

TLDR

The NICHD Study of Early Child Care, a prospective longitudinal study of over 1,000 children, examined how early child‑care experiences influence functioning at 4½ years and compared their effect sizes to those of parenting and poverty. Early child‑care experience predicts children’s development at 4½ years, with higher quality and center‑type care improving pre‑academic and language skills, while more hours of care are associated with increased behavior problems, underscoring the independent importance of quantity, quality, and type of care before school entry.

Abstract

Effects of early child care on children’s functioning at the age of 4 1 / 2 years were examined in the NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Study of Early Child Care, a prospective longitudinal study of more than 1,000 children. Even after controlling for multiple child and family characteristics, children’s development was predicted by early child-care experience. Higher-quality child care, improvements in the quality of child care, and experience in center-type arrangements predicted better pre-academic skills and language performance at 4 1 / 2 years. More hours of care predicted higher levels of behavior problems according to caregivers. Effect sizes associated with early child-care experiences were evaluated in relation to effect sizes obtained for two other well-recognized influences on early development: parenting and poverty. The findings indicated the importance (and relative independence) of quantity, quality, and type of child care for children’s development just prior to the time that children initiate formal schooling.