The issue of child care quality is high on the public policy agenda because millions of young children spend their days away from home while their parents are at work. This situation has generated growing concerns about the effects of non-parental care on children. Will children be safe from injury and harm in child care? How will it affect their development? What impact will child care have on children’s readiness for school? Research shows that good child care can be good for children (Phillips, 1995). Children in high quality care demonstrate improved cognitive and language skills. They are also better prepared for school (NICHD ECCRN, 1999) than children who are in child care that is rated poor.
There is a great deal at stake in efforts to improve child care quality, because they affect the lives of many children. How do policy makers know whether these initiatives have achieved their objectives? How can they determine which ones work well and which ones don’t? How can they measure their results? The Toolkit aims to provide some answers to these questions.
©Bank Street College of Education: Institute for a Child Care Continuum