Childcare Quality and Developmental Outcomes Under Cumulative Ecological Risk: A Longitudinal Study

Resumen de los autores

The ecological model of human development posits that child development is shaped by multiple environmental contexts. Previous researchers have found that cumulative environmental risks across ecological levels—individual, familial, and societal—have detrimental effects on children’s development. In contrast, high-quality childcare has been shown to promote positive developmental outcomes, particularly for children raised in impoverished home environments. Few researchers, however, have examined the specific mechanisms through which different aspects of childcare environments buffer underserved children against the adverse effects of cumulative risk factors. Using longitudinal data from 14 childcare centers and 105 children and their families in the Midwestern United States, we examined potential protective mechanisms of childcare settings for children from low-income families through generalized estimating equations (GEE). As a marginal modeling approach, GEE allows for the examination of how various aspects of childcare settings and cumulative risk factors affected child development over time, taking into account the correlation between repeated measures. We found that better personal care routines and program structures predicted higher child developmental outcomes over and beyond the impact of cumulative risks. However, interactions between childcare characteristics and cumulative risk factors were insignificant, suggesting that the cumulative risks' impact on child development does not vary by childcare characteristics. These findings may offer valuable guidance to policymakers and educators on how to enhance non-parental childcare settings to provide greater protection for underserved children.

Áreas y palabras clave

Cómo citar (APA 7)

Jang, Y. J., & Rodriguez, M. (2026). Childcare Quality and Developmental Outcomes Under Cumulative Ecological Risk: A Longitudinal Study. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/ajpzm_v1