Teacher and center stability and school readiness among low-income, ethnically diverse children in subsidized, center-based child care
Given large numbers of children attending center-based child care and considerable teacher and child mobility, it is important to study correlates and outcomes of children experiencing a change in their primary teacher/caregiver and/or a change to a different child care center. The present study investigated teacher and center stability in a group of 3238 urban, ethnically diverse, low-income, four-year-olds receiving subsidies to attend center-based child care. Children were individually assessed for cognitive and language development at the beginning and end of the pre-kindergarten year. Parents and teachers rated children on their socio-emotional skills and behavior at both time points. Children who experienced a change in their primary caregiver from the beginning to the end of the school year (41% of the sample) showed less growth in initiative for learning and attachment/closeness with adults over time, and scored lower on most indices of school readiness compared to those that had a stable caregiver. Children who moved to a different center during the year scored lower on teacher-reported initiative and attachment. African American children who switched centers were particularly at-risk for poorer outcomes, and boys who experienced a change in primary teacher, in particular, showed slower growth in cognitive development.
Year of publication: |
2011
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Authors: | Tran, Henry ; Winsler, Adam |
Published in: |
Children and Youth Services Review. - Elsevier, ISSN 0190-7409. - Vol. 33.2011, 11, p. 2241-2252
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Publisher: |
Elsevier |
Subject: | Childcare | Low-income children | Teacher stability | School readiness |
Saved in:
Online Resource