21.1: Introduction

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Amanda Taintor

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Introduction to Licensing and Regulations

Child care quality is a concept with no easy answer and many different variables. The safety and health conditions of child care facilities, availability of learning materials, teaching qualifications, and caregiver and child interactions can determine the quality of care (Slot, 2018). High-quality child care programs provide long-lasting positive outcomes. (see, e.g., Abner et al., 2013; Almond & Currie, 2011; Barnett, 2008; Burchinal et al., 2010; NICHD and Duncan 2003; Nores & Barnett, 2010). (Karoly, 2009). [1]

Since it can be difficult for parents to easily tell just by observing a child center if the care is quality care, judgments about quality may not reflect the actual quality observed by experts in the field (Barraclough & Smith, 1996; Cryer & Burchinal, 1997; Cryer et al., 2002). Alternative approaches such as regulations, accreditation, licensing, and quality reporting systems are used to remedy this disconnect and improve quality in child care settings. Licensing and regulations are more accessible and less costly than other alternative routes to improve quality. These standards generally concentrate on a narrow set of readily observable quality aspects, such as group size, child–staff ratio, and cleanliness of the childcare setting, providing minimum quality standards (Karoly, 2009). The government has a role in setting and implementing the standards for child care quality through these approaches (Pekkurnaz, Aran, & Aktakke, 2021).[1]

Child care quality generally aggregates into two broad categories: structural quality and process quality. The structural components of quality are generally more easily observed and evaluated and include infrastructure, staff-child ratio, education level and staff experience, and the child care facility (Burchinal, 2010; Helburn & Howes, 1996; Slot, 2018). Process quality refers mainly to the presence of developmentally appropriate equipment, materials, and learning activities, characteristics of the child–staff interactions, and the teaching style of educators when performing those activities in childcare settings (Burchinal, 2010; Helburn & Howes, 1996; Slot, 2018). [1]

[1] Pekkurnaz, D., Aran, M.A. & Aktakke, N. Does quality matter in determining child care prices? (2021). is licensed CC-BY