Child Care Quality: An International Perspective

1. Child Care Quality: An International Perspective Richard Fiene, Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University September 2011

2. Introduction • There are math and science benchmarks used to assess where the world’s countries rank in these respective areas • The proposal of this study/project is to do the same with child care quality • Other researchers have done this both formally and anecdotally • Want to establish a research methodology

3. Methodology • Utilize NACCRRA’s national child care benchmarks based upon the 13 Indicators of Child Care Quality (2002) • NACCRRA has published (We Can Do Better) and developed a scoring protocol to assess compliance with the national child care benchmarks (2007, 2009, 2011)

4. NACCRRA’s Child Care Benchmarks • Staff child ratios* • Group sizes* • Educational qualifications for directors * • Educational qualifications for Teachers * • Pre-service training for teachers* • Annual training for teachers* • Criminal background check requirements* • Developmental domains program must address • Health and safety requirements* • Parent involvement, communication, and parental access * 13 Indicators of Quality Child Care

5. Results • There is a great deal of variability in the states with major areas for improvement • The same is the case with the various countries assessed • The data so far indicate that the majority of countries assessed are at the same average as the USA which is 58 on a 100 scale utilizing the NACCRRA Scoring Protocol

6. Results: USA vs World • Staff child ratios = 1 • Group sizes = 0 • Educational qualifications for directors = 1 • Educational qualifications for Teachers = 1 • Pre-service training for teachers = 2 • Annual training for teachers = 2 • Criminal background check requirements = 2 • Developmental domains program must address = 0 • Health and safety requirements = 2 • Parent involvement, communication, and parental access = 0 Who Scored Statistically higher: 1 = 20 Countries; 2 = USA (50 States + DOD); 0 = No Significant Differences

7. Comparisons of Child Care Benchmarks

8. Conclusion/Summary • Need to expand the small sample of countries (N = 20) • Need to delve deeper into other countries’ rules, regulations, standards, and policies • Need to expand the assessment to compare not only health and safety standards but also oversight functions • Need to look at both structural and process quality; only structural quality was assessed

9. For more information: Richard Fiene, Ph.D., Research Director Early Childhood Research & Training Institute The Pennsylvania State University Fiene@psu.edu 717-948-6061 To obtain Dr Fiene’s publications go to: http://naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=3