Caregiver Training and Classroom Quality in Child Care Centers

Previous studies consistently indicate that caregivers with more formal education in early childhood tend to provide higher quality child care. Caregiver training in these studies was characterized by the highest level of formal education that the caregiver achieved. Nevertheless, many caregivers continue to receive further training such as attending workshops or classes, even if they have obtained higher levels of formal education previously. In this study of 553 infant, toddler, and preschool-center classrooms, the association between classroom quality and both the highest level of formal education and whether the caregiver had attended training workshops at the center, in the community, or at professional meetings was examined. Results indicated that caregivers with formal education in early children or who attended workshops were rated as more sensitive in interactions with children and as providing higher quality care than other caregivers, even after adjusting for the caregivers' experience and differences related to state, adult-child ratios, and type of classroom. Furthermore, children in those caregivers' classes also had more advanced language skills if caregivers reported either formal or informal training. These findings must be interpreted cautiously because they are based on caregiver report of training, but they are encouraging because informal training is a common mechanism used to promote better quality child care.