Three Developmental Pathways Linking Early Care and Education to Adult Educational Attainment
Deborah Lowe Vandell & Sandra D. Simpkins
University of California, Irvine
Evidence of long-term effects on educational outcomes
U.S. (Campbell et al.; Reynolds, et al; Schweinhart et al.)
Canada (Domond et al)
Europe (Havnes & Mogstad; Ulferts et al.)
Mixed findings in contemporary studies
Positive effects (Tulsa PK)
Convergence (Boston PK)
Negative effects (TN PK)
Is Early Care and Education (ECE) related to meaningful outcomes in adulthood?
The nature of children’s experiences in the early childhood program itself
Children’s skills and experiences that occur after the early childhood period
What Factors Might Contribute to Enduring Effects?
The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and
Youth Development (SECCYD)
Birth cohort (n = 1364) followed to age 26 years
Early Childhood
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Phase 1 (1991 - 94)
Birth – 36m
n = 1364
Phase 2 (1995-99)
54m – K
n = 1138
Phase 3
(2000-2005)
1st – 6th grades
n = 1098
Phase 4 (2006-07)
Age 15
n = 1004
Phase 5 (2008-09)
End of high school
n = 779
Phase 6
(2017-18)
Age 26-27
n = 814
The Sample
Phase 1 Phase 6
N 1364 814
Male % 52 47
White % 76 81
Black % 13 9
Hispanic % 6 6
Other % 5 5
Maternal education yrs 14.2 14.7
Income-to-needs 2.9 3.1
Single parent % 15 10
Measures of early education and care during the first 5 years (n = 1258):
ECE quality – observed at 6, 15, 24, 36, & 54 months
Center type – reported by mothers every 3-4 months
Hours or amount – reported by mothers every 3-4 months
Age 26 outcomes (n = 814)
Educational attainment
Occupational status
The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and
Youth Development (SECCYD)
Research Question One
Are particular aspects of community-based ECE (namely, its quality, if it was a center-type of setting, amount or hours ) linked to educational outcomes in adulthood?
Research Question Two
What are the developmental processes or pathways underlying these relations?
Possible Pathways
Skills begets skills – Cunha & Heckman (2007)
skills children develop in ECE set the stage for later skills
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Theoretical Model
Early Care & Education
(quality, hours, center type)
Academic Achievement
Organized Activities
Academic Performance
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Skills Beget Skills Pathway
Possible Pathways
Skills begets skills – Cunha & Heckman (2007)
skills children develop in ECE set the stage for later skills
Sustaining environments – Bailey et al. (2017)
schools and afterschool programs serving as sustaining environments
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Theoretical Model
Early Care & Education
(quality, hours, center type)
Academic Achievement
Organized Activities
Academic Performance
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Sustaining Environments Pathway
Possible Pathways
Skills begets skills – Cunha & Heckman (2007)
skills children develop in ECE set the stage for later skills
Sustaining environments – Bailey et al. (2017)
schools and afterschool programs serving as sustaining environments
Foot-in-the-door – Bailey et al. (2017)
right experience at the right time
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
st
Early Childhood
Theoretical Model
Early Care & Education
(quality, hours, center care)
Academic Achievement
Organized Activities
Academic Performance
Educational Attainment
Occupational
Status
Foot in the Door Pathway
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Theoretical Model
Early Care & Education
(quality, hours, center care)
Academic Achievement
Organized Activities
Academic Performance
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Skills begets skills pathway
Woodcock-Johnson Test of Academic Achievement (picture vocabulary, letter-word identification, and applied problems) measured at 54m, 1st, 3rd, & 5th grade
Sustaining environment pathway
Maternal reports for children’s afterschool organized activities during K-5th grade (15 epochs)
Foot-in-the-door pathway
Academic performance in high school (grades; advanced classes; admission to more selective higher colleges)
Measures of three pathways
Child gender
Maternal education
Early childhood income-to-needs ratio
Race-ethnicity
Early childhood single parent epochs
Early childhood HOME score
Early childhood observed maternal sensitivity
Site
Covariates
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Academic Achievement
Academic Performance
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center Care Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
Organized Activities
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Academic Achievement
Organized Activities
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center Care Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
.085(.028)**
.365(.035)***
.515(.052)**
.418(.049)***
Skills Beget Skills Pathway
Academic Performance
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Academic Achievement
Organized Activities
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center Care Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
.091(.030)**
.131(.036)***
.103(.030)**
.515(.052)**
.418(.049)***
Sustaining Environments Pathway
Academic Performance
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Academic Achievement
Organized Activities
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center Care Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
.418(.049)***
.515(.052)**
Foot in the Door Pathway
Academic Performance
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center Care Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
Organized Activities
-.113(.035)**
.080(.035)***
.098(.035)**
Academic Achievement
Academic Performance
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Academic Achievement
Educational Attainment
Occupational Status
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center Care Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
Organized Activities
.085(.028)**
.365(.035)***
.418(.049)***
.515(.052)**
.091(.030)**
.131(.036)***
.103(.030)**
-.113(.035)**
.098(.035)**
.080(.035)***
Academic Performance
Conclusions
In summary, this longitudinal study finds early care and education (quality, amount and center type) predict educational attainment and occupational status at age 26 and there was evidence of three pathways
THANK YOU!
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Academic Performance
Educational Attainment
Occupational Prestige
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center-Based Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
Organized Activities
+
+
+
Academic Achievement
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Early Childhood
Results: Structural Equation Model
Observed Quality
Academic Performance
Educational Attainment
Occupational Prestige
Hours in Nonrelative Care
Center-Based Epochs
Model fit: X2(106)= 200.755, p < .001; CFI= .978, TLI= .955; SRMR=.019; RMSEA=.027 (90% CI=.021-.032)
Organized Activities
+
+
+
Academic Achievement
+
+
+
+
+
+
-