1. Wiring for Success: National Research Linking Early Child Care with Adolescent Development Aletha C. Huston University of Texas at Austin Presentation to E3 Alliance, July 28, 2010

2. Research Publication  Do Effects of Early Child Care Extend to Age 15 Years? Results From the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development  Deborah Lowe Vandell, Jay Belsky, Margaret Burchinal, Laurence Steinberg, Nathan Vandergrift  and the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network  Child Development, 2010, Vol. 81, pages 737-756

3. Background  1980s  Rapid increase in employment by mothers of young children  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development convened experts to discuss impacts of infant child care  Initiated study to follow children from birth to 3

4. Study Begins 1991 1364 parents recruited at birth of infant

5. Two Perspectives Quality early childhood education and care promotes cognitive and social competencies Early child care results in reduced parent- child attachment and problem behaviors Understanding the conditions under which early child care is linked to children’s functioning has been a primary aim of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care since its inception in the early 1990s. 5

6. Problems in Earlier Research  Small, non-representative samples  “Selection bias”  The amount and quality of child care depends partly on family characteristics.  Correlations of child care with child development may be due to family differences  Did not separate the quality, amount, and type of care  Little known about individual differences

7. Sampling Plan and Subject Recruitment n Sites selected by competitive review of proposals (scientific merit), not on basis of demography. n Ten sites and the associated 24 hospitals define the sampling domain of the study. n All births in study hospitals during the recruitment period define a catchment which is the “reference population of the study.” n Sampling designed to produce unbiased estimates of effects for the catchment while assuring adequate representation of major socio-demographic niches. 7 Location of Data Collection Sites

8. 8 Sample Demographic Characteristics (N = 1364) at Recruitment Income-to-Needs Income-to-Needs 0-1 (poverty) 5.9% >1-1.8 (near poverty) 11.9% >1.8 (nonpoor) 82.2% Maternal Education Maternal Education No HS Degree 6.3% HS Degree or GED19.7% Some College 33.2% College Degree or more40.9% Child Ethnicity Child Ethnicity White, Non-Hispanic79.3% Black, Non-Hispanic10.5% Hispanic 6.2% Other 4.1% Child Gender Child Gender Male51.7% Two-Parent Family Two-Parent Family Yes76.5%

9. 9 Data Collection Schedule n Major assessments were observation and interview n Intervening phone contacts were made every 3 to 4 months in early years, every 6 months later Schedule of Assessments Child Age (in months) Assessment 16152436541 st 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th 9th Family Child Care/school Child functioning

10. Child Care Measures  Observed quality assessed at 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months using 4-point scales  Sensitivity, responsiveness, cognitive stimulation, not detached,  Hours of non-relative care - Mother reports of hrs/wk from birth to kindergarten entry  % center type care - Mother reports of types of arrangements every 3-4 months (16 epochs in all) 10

11. Distributions of Child Care Quality, Hours, and Center Type Note: Quality categories: Low 1-2.75, Moderately Low 2.75 -3.00 Moderately High 3.00-3 30 High 3.30-4.00 Hours categories: Low 0- 40 Center Low 0, Moderately Low 0-33% Moderately High 33-%67% High 67%-100%

12. Early Results  At age 15 months, no overall relations of child care to security of attachment to mother  Children in high quality care had better language development  Children in long hours of care had less sensitive mothers

13. 13 Results at Age 4 1/2  Child care quality  Children in high quality child care in first 4 years had better pre- academic skills and language skills  Child care quantity  Children in long hours over 4 years had more behavior problems at school  More true in low quality and large groups of peers  Child care type  Children with a lot of experience in center-type care had better language skills, but also more behavior problems  Family characteristics mattered more than child care

14. Research Questions at Age 15  Does early child care predict academic achievement and behavioral adjustment at age 15?  If so, why? Are links between child care and age 15 outcomes a result of earlier effects of child care?  Are links different for children with different levels of family risk?

15. Adolescent Measures  Cognitive-Academic Achievement – standardized individual tests  Risk Taking – e.g., riding motorcycle without helmet  Impulsivity – difficulty in waiting, quick decisions  Externalizing behavior problems (e.g., aggression, delinquency) - youth report

16. Efforts to Reduce Selection Bias  16 Early ChildhoodMiddle ChildhoodAdolescence Child GenderX Child EthnicityX Income to needs ratio XXX Two parent household XXX Maternal EducationX Maternal PPVTX Maternal Adjustment X Maternal Depression XXX Parenting QualityXXX Classroom qualityXX

17. Quality of Care  At age 15, youth who had received high quality preschool care had  High cognitive-academic achievement  Low rates of externalizing behavior

18. Quality and Academic Achievement Observed Quality

19. What Effect Sizes Mean  Cognitive academic scores  Average = 100  About 17% of population scores above 115  Comparing scores of youth with different levels of child care quality: High (3.8) = 104 Middle (between 2.7 and 3.3) = 101 Low (2.0)= 98-99  Externalizing  High quality about 2 fewer behavior problems

20. Quantity and Type of Care  At age 15, youth who had experienced high hours of care from birth to kindergarten had  Higher risk taking  Higher impulsivity  No differences in externalizing  At age 15, youth who had experienced high amounts of center-type care did not differ from those who had less center-type care

21. Hours Effect Sizes

22. What Effect Sizes Mean  Externalizing – not statistically significant  Risk taking – Youth with high hours (>40) of care report about 1 more risky behavior (occasional) than those with average hours (10-30 hours)  Impulsivity – Youth with high hours of care (>40) report slightly more problems with impulse control than those with average hours

23. Why?  High quality care boosts language and cognitive skills early; these carry through the school years  High hours in care increase externalizing early; this pattern carries through the school years, manifesting in risk taking and impulsivity  High quality alleviates effects of high hours on externalizing

24. Conclusions  High quality child care predicts cognitive and academic achievement  High quality child care predicts reduced externalizing behavior problems  Long hours in child care predict impulsivity and risk taking  No lasting effects of center-type care  No evidence that effects differ by family risk  Effect sizes are small but important

25. Thank you!

26. Next Food for Thought When: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Where: Leander ISD Title: Ready or Not? Desired Professional Skills for Our Entry Level Workforce: Results from 2010 AHRMA* Member Survey * Austin Human Resources Management Association