Allegiances or attachments: Relationships among infants and their daycare teachers
Farran, Dale, 1984
In R. Ainslie (Ed.), The child and the daycare setting: Qualitative variations and development (pp. 133-158). New York: Praeger Publishers

A study of infants’ social interactions and relationships with alternative caregivers in child care

Reports & Papers

Are there long-term effects of early child care?
Belsky, Jay, March/April 2007
Child Development, 78(2), 681-701

An analysis of the links between early child care and school-age children's development, socioemotional functioning, and academic performance, based on data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development

Reports & Papers

Child Care and Early Education Quality Features, Thresholds and Dosage and Child Outcomes: Study Design (Q-DOT)
Tarullo, Louisa B., 2009
Mathematica Policy Research

A project to create the design of a study that systematically tests features, thresholds, and dosages of quality needed to impact child outcomes in order to answer questions such as: (1) What is it about the quality of center-based child care and early education programs serving children from birth through age 5 that is making a difference in child outcomes?; (2) What are the mechanisms by which different features of quality positively affect children’s outcomes?; (3) What specific features of quality lead to gains in child outcomes?; (4) Is there a minimum level of quality necessary to affect child outcomes?; and, (5) What level of exposure/dosage to quality is needed to produce good child outcomes? Empirical evidence that is able to link specific aspects of quality to children’s developmental outcomes and school readiness would help policymakers and practitioners know what features of quality are important, and what level and intensity of quality to strive for when implementing quality improvement initiatives. The focus of this project is on center-based programs serving children ages birth to age 5 (i.e., child care, Head Start, pre-k), with special attention to programs serving children from low-income households, including those receiving subsidies and/or those with risk factors that may affect their ability to be ready for school.

Child Care Bureau/OPRE Projects

Children enrolled in public pre-K: The relation of family life, neighborhood quality, and socioeconomic resources to early competence
Barbarin, Oscar, 2006
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(2), 265-276

An examination of the relations of young children's sociodemographic characteristics, parental well-being, family functioning, and neighborhood quality to their early academic achievements and socioemotional competence

Reports & Papers

The children of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study go to school [Executive summary]
Peisner-Feinberg, Ellen S., 1999
Chapel Hill, NC: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.

Report summarizes the key findings of the longitudinal follow up study to the Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study. The longitudinal study examines developmental outcomes of quality of center-based child care.

Executive Summary

Comparing universal and targeted prekindergarten programs
Dotterer, Aryn M., 2009
In R.C. Pianta & C. Howes (Eds.), The promise of pre-k (pp. 65-76). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes

A comparison of classroom characteristics and preschooler achievement outcomes in universal and targeted pre-k programs based on a sample of over 400 children in over 800 classrooms

Reports & Papers

Cost, quality and child outcomes in child care centers: Executive summary
Helburn, Suzanne W., 1995
Denver, CO: University of Colorado

A summary of the key findings from the Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers study, which examines the relationship between cost and quality of child care in child care centers

Executive Summary

Cost, quality, and child outcomes in child care centers study: Public report
Helburn, Suzanne W., 1995
Denver: University of Colorado, Department of Economics

The public report from the Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes Study, which focuses on the relationship between economic features of child care provision and the quality of care in child care centers

Reports & Papers

Development of academic skills from preschool through second grade: Family and classroom predictors of developmental trajectories
Burchinal, Margaret, 2002
Journal of School Psychology, 40(5), 415-436

A study of the relationship between 511 children's acquisition of academic skills from preschool to second grade and their experiences with parents and teachers, based on data from the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study, spanning child care centers in four states

Reports & Papers

Diversity and directions in state pre-kindergarten programs
Bryant, Donna M., 2002
Chapel Hill, NC: National Center for Early Development and Learning.

A survey of the diversity and standards of state-sponsored prekindergarten programs

Reports & Papers

Do effects of early child care extend to age 15 years?: Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
Vandell, Deborah L., May/June 2010
Child Development, 81(3), 737-756

An examination of the relationships between externalizing behavior, impulsivity, risk taking, and academic achievement at age 15 and quality of care, nonrelative child care type, care hours, and center care participation at 4 ½ years, as well as achievement and externalizing behavior at 4 ½ years and grades 1, 3, and 5, from a secondary analysis of data on 1,364 families

Reports & Papers

Early care and education quality and child outcomes
Burchinal, Margaret, May 2009
(Publication No. 2009-15, OPRE Research-to-Policy Brief No. 1). Washington, DC: Child Trends.

An overview of research on the relationship of child care and early education quality to children's cognitive, social, and academic development

Fact Sheets & Briefs