1. Child Care Research Roundtable
An Evaluation of the Lane County Child Care Enhancement Project: Quality Improvement Outcomes
Presented by
Beth Green
Sonia Worcel
Child Care Research Roundtable
October 1, 2008

2. What is the Child Care Enhancement Project?
Funded through the Child Care Contribution Tax Credit
Program administered by Family Connections at Lane Community College
Interrelated Goals:
Decrease the cost of quality child care
Increase provider stability and wages
Increase child care quality
October 1, 2008

3. Program Components Parent Subsidies
2. Provider wage enhancements & financial supports
3. Individualized mentoring, networking & technical assistance
October 1, 2008

4. What Was the CCEP Evaluation?
3-year process and outcome evaluation
Data collected on CCEP & control providers (randomly assigned) and families
Observations of child care facilities
Surveys of providers
Surveys & interviews with facility directors
Surveys and interviews with parents
October 1, 2008

5. Participating Facilities
2 CCEP child care centers (& 5 control centers) 12 CCEP family child care facilities (& 23 control)
October 1, 2008

6. Quality Improvement Outcomes
Quality measured by the QUEST
Observations by trained data collectors
Appropriate for family and center-based providers
Quality of provider-child interactions
Quality of environment and materials
Quality improvement outcomes found ONLY for family child care providers
October 1, 2008

7. Physical Environment
CCEP family providers improved more in the quality of developmentally appropriate equipment
October 1, 2008

8. Physical Environment
CCEP family providers improved more in safety of furnishings & materials
October 1, 2008

9. Physical Environment
CCEP family providers improved more in quality of materials for language & literacy
October 1, 2008

10. Curricula & Provider-Child Interactions
CCEP family providers increased the amount of support for social emotional development
October 1, 2008

11. Curricula & Provider-Child Interactions
CCEP family providers provided more support than controls for cognitive development
October 1, 2008

12. Curricula & Provider-Child Interactions
CCEP family providers provided more support than controls for language & early literacy development
October 1, 2008

13. Why did CCEP Result in Quality Improvement for Family Providers?
CCEP providers (center and family) involved in more professional development activities
October 1, 2008

14. Why Didn’t CCEP Result in Quality Changes for Center Providers?
Shorter length of intervention & less intense intervention for center providers
Length of time in CCEP
Family Providers
Center Providers
<1 year
2 (14%)
3 (15%)
1- 2 years
1 (7%)
7 (35%)
2 - 3 years
3+ years
10 (71%)
October 1, 2008

15. Summary: Quality Outcomes
Strong quality
improvement
for family providers
Not successful for
center-based providers
Center-based providers received less intervention, and may have been less engaged in networking and mentoring
October 1, 2008

16. Summary: Other Outcomes
CCEP Family providers were less likely to close (compared to controls)
CCEP providers received significant wage enhancements (ranging from 1,00-$15,000)
CCEP providers reported greater revenue stability
Parents receiving subsidies purchased more hours of care, and reported fewer changes in childcare placements
CCEP parents were more satisfied with childcare quality
October 1, 2008