Center-Based Child Care and Differential Improvements in the Child Development Outcomes of Disadvantaged Children

Abstract

Background Research finds center-based child care typically benefits children of low socio-economic status (SES) but few studies have examined if it also reduces inequalities in developmental disadvantage. Objective I test if the length of time in center-based care between ages one and three years associates with child development scores at age three years, focusing on the impact for groups of children in the lower tercile of child development scores and in the lower SES tercile. Method Using data from 1,606 children collected in a nationally representative Chilean survey, I apply a value-added approach to measure gains in child development scores between age one and three years that are associated with length of time in center-based child care. Results Disadvantages at age one year were associated with lower child development scores at age three years. No benefits of additional time in center-based care were found for the non-disadvantaged group, but positive associations were found between more time in center-based care and child development outcomes for children with the SES disadvantage only. Center-based care was not associated with child development trajectories of children with lower child development scores at age one year, no matter their SES status. Conclusions There is evidence that Chilean center-based child care reduces SES inequality in child development scores between ages one and three years, but only if children already were not low-scorers at age one year.

The feasibility, acceptability, cost and benefits of a “communities of practice” model for improving the quality of childcare centres: a mixed-methods study in the informal settlements in Nairobi

“…Estimates of the number of such childcare centres in informal settlements in Nairobi put the figure at 2700 ( 27 ) but should currently be much more than this. Therefore, many children are at risk of receiving inadequate care and nurturing during the critical period of their development, which in turn is detrimental for their future learning and wellbeing ( 28 ). Given the poor quality of childcare centres in LMICs particularly in impoverished settings due to lack of resources, lack of skills on the part of the childcare centre providers and absence of clear guidelines to regulate centre-based childcare, our programme of research aimed to support the improvement of the quality of centre-based childcare in line with the WHO’s nurturing care guidelines ( 7 ).…”

Inequality in the Early Years in LAC: A Comparative Study of Size, Persistence, and Policies

“…The only longitudinal studies in Latin America examine children from Peru's Young Lives data or from Chile (which add a widely used behavior outcome) and find very similar patterns (Abufhele et al, 2022b;Reynolds et al, 2017;Reynolds, 2022).…”