Links Between Patterns of Quality in Diverse Settings and Children’s Early Outcomes

Patterns of quality among approximately 1,400 center classrooms and 350 family child care homes based on measures of global quality, sensitive caregiving, and frequency of language/literacy and math/numeracy activities were examined. Four patterns of quality were identified. Provider education was predictive of higher quality care in both centers and family child care home arrangements. Associations between quality patterns and children’s preschool and kindergarten academic skills were found among children in family child care homes only. Policy and practice implications related to the varying patterns of quality are discussed