Family day care and day care centres: Carer, family and child differences and their implications

Abstract

The present study investigated child, maternal and caregiver characteristics in two day care settings, the independent contributions of these characteristics to children’s adjustment to day care, and the utility of a goodness-of-fit framework as a means of assessing the impact of parent-caregiver differences on children’s adjustment. Eight measures were used to assess child behavioural problems, maternal satisfaction with care, child temperament, maternal and caregiver child rearing practices, developmental timetables, day care goals, and demographic background. The study found strong support for the existence of differences between mothers choosing different types of care, between caregiver..