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Child effects and child care: Implications for risk and adjustment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2015

Emily K. Snell ,
Annemarie H. Hindman  and
Jay Belsky
Emily K. Snell*
Affiliation:
Temple University
Annemarie H. Hindman
Affiliation:
Temple University
Jay Belsky
Affiliation:
University of California, Davis
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Emily Snell, College of Education, Temple University, Ritter Hall 437, 301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091; E-mail: emily.snell@temple.edu.
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Abstract

Evocative effects of child characteristics on the quality and quantity of child care were assessed in two studies using longitudinal data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. We focus on the influence of child characteristics on two important aspects of the child care experience: language stimulation provided by caregivers and quantity of care. In Study 1, associations between the developmental status of children aged 15 to 54 months and the language stimulation provided by their caregivers were examined using path models, and longitudinal child effects were detected across the earliest time points of the study. In Study 2, the associations among child behavior, temperament, development, and time in care were examined. Little evidence was found for such child effects on time in care. The results are discussed in terms of the effects of child care on child development and implications for developmental processes, particularly for children at greatest risk for developmental delay or psychopathology.

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Type
Special Section Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 27 , Issue 4pt1 , November 2015 , pp. 1059 - 1076
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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