Workforce Characteristics Of Infant And Toddler Caregivers .

Workforce Characteristics of Infant and Toddler Caregiversparents2 (Capizzano, Adams & Sonenstein, 2000).As early education and care programs become the norm, even for our youngest children,parents and policy makers have asked what the consequences are for children’s development.The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, an in-depth study of childrenfrom birth to school-age, has found that families are still the most important influence onchildren’s development, but early education and care programs are an important context foryoung children’s growth and development (NICHD ECCRN, 2005). The cumulative evidence ofthe research on early child care and children’s development is clear; for children in non-parentalcare, the quality of that care is consistently associated with children’s development. As theNational Research Council notes (2000, pg. 313), “ high-quality care is associated withoutcomes that all parents want to see in their children, ranging from cooperation with adults tothe ability to initiate and sustain positive exchanges with peers, to early competence in mathand reading.”While the quality of non-parental care for infants and toddlers is important to young children’sdevelopment, studies have raised serious concerns about the availability of affordable, highquality EEC, particularly for lower income children. The Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes Study(Helburn, 1995) provided dramatic evidence of the lack of quality early care and education in thefour communities studied, with 76% of the observed preschool classrooms in centers rated“poor” or “mediocre” on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Infant/toddler roomswere of even lower quality, with about 90% rated less than “good”. The Relative and FamilyDay Care Study (Galinsky et al. 1994) found that relative care was of lower quality thanregulated family child care, with 69% of relative caregivers rated “inadequate,” compared to only13% of regulated family child care providers.Similar patterns are found in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study foundthat only one-quarter of infant classrooms and less than one-third of toddler classroomsprovided early care and education that met professional standards for developmentallyappropriate infant/toddler programs (Marshall, Creps, Burstein et al, 2004). Similarly, theMassachusetts Cost and Quality Study found that only 30% of family child care homes metprofessional standards for family child care homes (Marshall, Creps, Burstein, et. al., 2003).3In addition, lower-income families are less likely to receive quality EEC. The MassachusettsCost and Quality Study found that infants and toddlers attending centers that servedpredominantly low-income or low-moderate income families were less likely to receive the levelof early care and education that will prepare them for school and later life, with toddlers in lowincome centers at the greatest risk.4 Similarly, the Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study foundthat family child care homes serving low income children were less likely to meet professionalstandards than were homes serving higher income children.How, then, do we ensure that young children receive quality EEC? The overwhelming researchevidence supports the importance of teacher and provider qualifications, and the conditionsunder which they work – group size, adult-child ratios, and compensation (NRC IM 2000). In theMassachusetts Cost and Quality Study, infant/toddler classrooms and family child care homeswere more likely to provide higher quality care when teachers and providers had moreeducation and worked in environments with smaller ratios and fewer children (Marshall et al.,2Working parents can provide care for their own children if they work at home, take their child to work, or, in 2parent families, work opposite work schedules so that a parent is available most of the time.3However, these same studies did find that more than one-third of infant/toddler classrooms and family child carehomes provided the levels of language stimulation (talking and listening) and the social interactions that youngchildren need.4The sample consisted of community-based centers, but did not include Early Head Start programs.2

Workforce Characteristics of Infant and Toddler Caregivers2003, 2004). This research brief describes the current Massachusetts workforce caring for ourinfants and toddlers, as a first step towards the development or expansion of policies andprograms that will ensure that infants and toddlers receive the quality early care and educationthat is important to their development.MASSACHUSETTS’ CURRENT SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEMMassachusetts currently provides early education and care for children birth through 14 years(16 years with special needs) through a mixed delivery system. This delivery system includescenters, family child care homes and school-age programs, public school preschool programs,Early Head Start and Head Start programs, and early intervention programs.In 2000, there were243,133 infants andtoddlers (birth through 2years 11 months) inMassachusetts(Massachusetts DOE,2001, p75). Based on 2002population estimates andlabor force participationrates, NEDLC estimatedthat there are 60,100infants and 72,900 toddlerswith working parents inMassachusetts (Traill &Wohl, 2004). Of these133,000 children, anestimated 86,450 are inregular non-parental care.Figure 1. Massachusetts Delivery 387,36918,7592,305Number of ProgramsCentersFCCNumber of ChildrenEarly Head StartBased on capacity figuresNote: See Table A1 in Appendix A for sources of datafor centers and licensedfamily child care homes, andenrollment figures for Early Head Start, we estimate that Massachusetts currently has thecapacity to care for 34,608 infants and toddlers in regulated programs, or 40% of infants andtoddlers in non-parental care (See Figure 1 and Table A1 in Appendix A).5AVAILABLE DATA ON MASSACHUSETTS’ WORKFORCEMassachusetts has a wide variety of data collection activities in place that provide informationabout the current early education and care workforce. Below is an inventory of the resourcesconsulted in developing this brief:5Other infants and toddlers are in relative care or in unregulated in-home care. While some families may choosethese arrangements, particularly because they tend to be more flexible in hours, and are sometimes more affordable,other families choose these arrangements because of the limited capacity of the current Massachusetts servicedelivery system for infants and toddlers. While some research shows that care by relatives, particularly when there isonly one child in care, can be higher quality (NICHD ECCRN 1996), other research raises concerns about thequality of unregulated providers, including relatives (Galinsky et al., 1994; Coley et al., 2002). Relative andunregulated in-home care is beyond the scope of this research brief, but warrants further study.3

Workforce Characteristics of Infant and Toddler Caregivers! The Massachusetts Cost Quality Studies.The Cost and Quality of Full Day, Year-round Early Care and Education in Massachusetts:Infant and Toddler Classrooms. (Marshall et al, 2004), referred to as the “Cost Quality (CQ)Infant Toddler (IT) Study.”Family Child Care Today: A Report of the Findings of the Massachusetts Cost/QualityStudy: Family Child Care Homes. (Marshall et al, 2003). Referred to as the “Cost Quality(CQ) Family Child Care (FCC) Study.”! Massachusetts Department of Education Community Partnerships for Children (CPC)Community Profile Surveys of Center/Head Start programs, Public Preschool, and FamilyChild Care Homes.We consulted preliminary data provided to us by the Department, based on merged data for2000-2003, referred to as “Community Profiles merged data” in this brief. We alsoconsulted Community Profile reports for individual years as appropriate; these are referredto as “Community Profile Survey for [specific] Program Year.”! The Massachusetts Early Care and Education Staff Recruitment and Retention Research andRecommendations, a report prepared by Mills & Pardee, Inc., for the Recruitment andRetention Task Force of the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services6. (2001). Referred toas the “Recruitment and Retention Study.”! Massachusetts Child Care Center & School Age Program Salary and Benefits Report, (2000).Massachusetts Child Care Resource and Referral Network. Conducted for the MassachusettsOffice of Child Care Services. Referred to as the “Salary and Benefits Report.”! Massachusetts Child Care Resource and Referral Network, January 2005. MassachusettsChild Care Resource & Referral Network Data Report 2004. Includes “Family Child Care inMassachusetts: A Profile.” Referred to as the “MCCRRN Network FCC Profile.”! Head Start Program Information Reporting (PIR) system, which contains data on individualsemployed in Early Head Start programs during the 2003-04 Program Year.! Other data sources, such as U.S. Census data, are described in the research brief asappropriate.6The functions of the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services (OCCS) were combined with those of the EarlyLearning Services Division (ELS) at the Department of Education in the new Department of Early Education andCare (EEC), as of July 1, 2005. We use OCCS and ELS to refer to reports and policies in place at the time theoriginal data in this report was collected (prior to July 1, 2005).4

Workforce Characteristics of Infant and Toddler CaregiversFINDINGSEducationWe know that early education and care programs are important preparation for young children,and that well-trained, qualified teachers and providers are necessary for programs to promotechildren’s development. In an extensive review of the state-of-the-field, the National ResearchCouncil (2000, pg 316) found that “both formal education levels and recent, specialized trainingin child development have been found quite consistently to be associated with high-qualityinteractions and children’s development in center-based, family day care and even in in-homesitter arrangements.”In a review of the research in infant andtoddler caregiving, Phillips and Adams (in TheFuture of Children, Volume 11, Number 1,2001) found that young children in child carebenefit most when the care they receive iswarm and responsive. Phillips and Adamsalso found that, across types of care,providers with more education andspecialized training in infant-toddlerdevelopment, offered more responsive andstimulating care to infants and toddlers(Phillips & Adams, 2001).“In sum, quality is inherent in the child careprovider, whether it is the grandmother, anunrelated sitter, or a center-based teacher.Critical to sustaining high-quality child carefor young children are the provider’s education, specialized training, andattitudes about their work and the children intheir care, and the features of child care thatenable them to excel in their work andremain in their jobs, notably small ratios,small groups, and adequate compensation.”– From Neurons to Neighborhoods, NationalResearch Council (2000)7The Massachusetts Cost and Quality Studyfound that toddler classrooms provided moreage-appropriate learning opportunities when teachers had higher levels of education, andwarmer interactions when classrooms had smaller ratios of children to teaching staff (Marshallet al, 2004). Infant classrooms with smaller ratios and smaller group sizes, as well as moreexperienced teachers, provided higher quality care. In family child care homes, providers’ formaleducation was the strongest predictor of the quality of the program (Marshall, et al, 2003); themore years of formal education that a provider had completed, the higher the quality scores shereceived. In addition, holding constant the number of years of formal education, providers whoheld a CDA credential offered significantly higher quality programs than did providers who didnot hold a CDA credential, but had similar levels of formal education. For example, amongproviders without a college education, providers with a CDA provided higher quality programsthan did providers without a CDA.Both national research and research conducted on Massachusetts’ own early education andcare programs provide strong evidence of the importance of professional development toprogram quality. To ensure that every child “has access to a high-quality education and careprogram which meets professionally-accepted standards,” the Massachusetts General Courtestablished the Department of Early Education and Care in the Acts of 2004. In the samelegislation, the General Court identified the importance of “well-trained early educator[s] in avariety of public and private settings” as part of a “first-rate early education and care system”. Tomeet this goal, The Report of the Early Education and Care Advisory Committee (2004)recommended the development of a comprehensive professional development system thatwould provide the existing workforce with opportunities to transition to higher standards, and7These studies were commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Education, and funded by the Departmentand by the U.S. DHHS Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF).5

Workforce Characteristics of Infant and Toddler Caregiversattract new recruits to the field of early education and care (Recommendation WF1). Several ofthe other recommendations of The Advisory Committee Report (WF3, WF9) identify theimportance of studying the existing workforce to determine professional development needsacross all sectors of a mixed system of delivery.Toward that end, this research brief makes findings on the education of the current workforceserving infants and toddlers in centers, Early Head Start programs and family child care homes.Finding 1. In centers, 13% of Infant Teachers and 17% of Toddler Teachers have a Bachelorsor more in the field of early care and education. In EEC-licensed Family Child Care Homes,13% of providers have a Bachelors or more. In Early Head Start (EHS) classrooms, 53% ofTeachers have a Bachelors or more; of the 13 EHS Family Child Care Teachers, 6% have aBachelors or more.Figure 2. Education of Infant & Toddler CaregiversFamily Child Care13%Infant Teachers13%Infant Asst TchrsEHS Asst Tchrs7%EHS FCC6%4%49%12%Toddler Asst Tchrs 3%7%47%31%17%EHS Teachers7%14%4% 4%Toddler Teachers16%5%1%48%27%32%7%53%12%BA in fieldAA in fieldCollege coursesCDANote: See Table A2 in Appendix A for sources of data.Staff To Child Ratio & Group SizeTeachers and providers offer the best care in environments that are characterized by smallerratios of children to adults, and smaller group sizes. For infants and toddlers, ratios and groupsize are particularly important, given the developmental needs of young children. Studies havefound that smaller ratios and fewer children per group or classroom are associated with moresensitive and age-appropriate caregiving and better child outcomes (Howes et al., 1992;Burchinal et al., 1996; NICHD ECCRN 1996, 1999; Burchinal, et al., 2000). In theMassachusetts Cost and Quality Study, teachers in infant and toddler classrooms with fewerchildren provided warmer and more sensitive care, while teachers in infant classrooms withsmaller ratios provided more age-appropriate language stimulation (Marshall et al., 2004).88Massachusetts regulations effectively limit the number of infants and toddlers (under the age of 2 years) to 3 perhome in most circumstances, which keeps family child care home ratios of infants and toddlers to adults lower thanthe ratios found in classrooms. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study did not6

Workforce Characteristics of Infant and Toddler CaregiversThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends a ratio of 1 teacher for every3 infants, and 1 teacher for every 4 toddlers in center-based care (US DHHS, 2002). As Table 1indicates, Massachusetts regulations meet these recommendations. While family child carehomes have more children, Massachusetts regulations limit family child care homes to no morethan three children under the age of two years (see Appendix C for complete details).Finding 2. Group composition (ratios and group size) is important to the quality of earlyeducation and care that infants and toddlers receive. Current regulations in Massachusetts areconsistent with recommended ratios from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Table 1. Group Composition by Child Age and Care SettingCenter- Based 1Group CompositionFamily Child CareInfants ToddlersGroup SizeMA Regulations - Maximum62793Observed558Staff-Child RatioMA Regulations - Maximum1:6 21:31:4Observed1:51:31:41Early Head StartInfants & Toddlers881:4 41:3If a classroom includes infants and toddlers, the more stringent group size and ratio rules apply.Family child care providers may care for up to 3 children under the age of two; the total group size is limited to 6.3Observed ratios and group sizes tend to be lower than allowed maximums and lower than enrollments, becauseobservations use head-counts that exclude children temporarily out of the classroom and children absent on the dayof the observation.4Head Start regulations allow for a ratio of 1:4, however, if state regulations require more stringent ratios, than thestate rules apply.2Salaries and BenefitsAs in most other fields, salary and benefits are a significant consideration when early childhoodeducators are preparing for and planning their careers. Unfortunately, as several reports haveshown, educators in some sectors of the field receive pay that is low compared to similarworkers in comparable fields. According to a 2003 report published by the Center for the Studyof Child Care Employment (Whitebook & Sakai, 2003), “the low wages that characterize childcare employment have been identified as the strongest predictor of instability among teachingstaff.” In Neurons to Neighborhoods the National Research Council (2000) argues that adequatecompensation is one of the key factors “critical to sustaining high-quality child care for youngchildren.”The Early Education and Care Advisory Committee’s December 2004 report noted:“Compensation, recruitment and retention are overarching issues within the workforce that mustbe addressed. Research indicates that compensation is linked closely to provision of qualityservices” (page 38). The Advisory Committee recommended that the Commonwealth, “Design aplan for increased and equitable compensation that reflects uniform higher professionalstandards, as well as improves recruitment and retention” (WF5, page 20).Finding 5. Center teachers with bachelor’s degrees in ECE earn less than half the wages ofpublic school preschool teachers.find that ratios or group size were related to quality in family child care homes. However, national studies, whichinclude homes with larger groups of children, do find that ratios and group size matter in family child care.7

Workforce Characteristics of Infant and Toddler CaregiversCenter teachers with a bachelor’s degree in ECE earned an average of 11.91/hour9, accordingto the CQ Center Study, compared to 35.00/hour earned by public school preschool teachers10(most of whom hold bachelors degrees in ECE). In fact, the lowest paid full-time public schoolpreschool teacher in a program earned an average of 28/hour (the Community Profiles mergeddata, 2000-2003), more than twice the wages of a Center teacher with comparable education.Salaries vary with the job titles and related qualifications of teachers in center-based programs.The Salary and Benefits Report found that the median highest wage was 8.62 for assistantteachers, 11.49 for teachers and 13.06 for lead teachers in centers (in 2002 dollars). In EarlyHead Start programs, lead teachers earned an

education, staff-child ratios, group size, teacher tenure and turnover, and staff wages and benefits. THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY INFANT AND TODDLER EEC PROGRAMS More than half of all infants are in homes where either both parents work, or there is only one parent and that parent is employed