The second installment of the Cost of Quality series by the
Department of Early Learning (DEL) is now available. Last summer, DEL sent a
survey to a sample of licensed child care centers to better understand the
costs of operating a center and the costs associated with Early Achievers. The
researchers were also trying to determine whether certain characteristics of
child care centers are related to the Early Achievers quality rating of those centers.
Identifying relationships between Early Achievers quality level and various
characteristics of centers will allow DEL to effectively invest in continuous
quality improvement at child care centers.
Researchers analyzed the relationship between numerous
variables and Early Achievers quality level. Using a variety of statistical
methods, researchers identified which aspects of child care center facilities,
staff, and operations were associated with higher Early Achievers quality
levels. The researchers examined center characteristics, staff, enrollment, and
costs and revenue.
The analysis did not uncover a single
strategy of improving quality, rather a suite of strategies that lead to
high-quality child care. Improving the working environment for employees
generally appears to improve the level of quality of the center. Researchers
determined that wages and the level of assistant teachers’ education were
associated with higher quality levels. Less teacher turnover also contributes
to higher quality levels. It appears that centers that create a positive job
experience are more likely to be high-quality.
Some characteristics that were indicators of quality
included: the amount of indoor and outdoor space per child, how long a center
has operated, and how diverse a center’s staff is. Other findings remark on the
implications of tuition rates. One would expect that the price of a service
would be related to the quality of that service. However, researchers
determined that tuition has only a modest, positive relationship with quality. This
makes it difficult for parents or guardians to know the quality of the service
they are buying. Thus, the transparency Early Achievers offers for quality in
child care is an important resource for parents and guardians in the state of
Washington.
Phase III will be the next part of the Cost of Quality
series and will study licensed family home child care. DEL will deploy the
survey at the end of March.
