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Connecting Child Care Quality to Child Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Greg J. Duncan

    (Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois)

  • Christina M. Gibson-Davis

    (Duke University, Durham, North Carolina)

Abstract

Effective early childhood intervention and child care policies should be based on an understanding of the effects of child care quality and type on child well-being. This article describes methods for securing unbiased estimates of these effects from nonexperimental data. It focuses on longitudinal studies like the one developed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Early Child Care Research Network. This article first describes bias problems that arise in analyses of nonexperimental data and then explains strategies for controlling for biases arising from parental selection of child care. Next, it comments on attrition in longitudinal studies and outlines some strategies for addressing possible attrition bias. Finally, it discusses the need to translate “effect sizes†derived from these studies into the kinds of cost and benefit information needed by policy makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Greg J. Duncan & Christina M. Gibson-Davis, 2006. "Connecting Child Care Quality to Child Outcomes," Evaluation Review, , vol. 30(5), pages 611-630, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:evarev:v:30:y:2006:i:5:p:611-630
    DOI: 10.1177/0193841X06291530
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Larissa Zierow, 2017. "Economic Perspectives on the Implications of Public Child Care and Schooling for Educational Outcomes in Childhood and Adult Life," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 76.
    2. Anne Hungerford & Martha J. Cox, 2006. "Family Factors in Child Care Research," Evaluation Review, , vol. 30(5), pages 631-655, October.
    3. William T. Gormley Jr., 2007. "Early childhood care and education: Lessons and puzzles," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 633-671.
    4. Yamauchi, Chikako & Leigh, Andrew, 2011. "Which children benefit from non-parental care?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1468-1490.
    5. Jade Marcus Jenkins & Sudhanshu Handa, 2019. "Parenting skills and early childhood development: production function estimates from longitudinal data," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 121-147, March.
    6. Martha Zaslow & Tamara Halle & Laurie Martin & Natasha Cabrera & Julia Calkins & Lindsay Pitzer & Nancy Geyelin Margie, 2006. "Child Outcome Measures in the Study of Child Care Quality," Evaluation Review, , vol. 30(5), pages 577-610, October.
    7. V. Joseph Hotz & Mo Xiao, 2011. "The Impact of Regulations on the Supply and Quality of Care in Child Care Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1775-1805, August.
    8. Zierow, Larissa, 2017. "Regulating Child Care Markets. Center-based Care vs. Family Day-Care in Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168052, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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