Investigating Child Care as a Contextual Asset for Children of Adolescent Mothers

Abstract:This study investigated associations between child care participation and socioemotional and language development of children born to adolescent mothers. Participants were 704 mothers and their children (mean age = 24 months) enrolled in a randomized controlled-trial evaluation of a voluntary statewide home visiting program for first-time young parents. Findings showed that nonmaternal child care (i.e., organized group care, grandparent care, and other family and friend care) was prevalent in this sample. (Children spent over 30 hr per week in organized group care and nearly 20 hr per week in the care of grand-parents and other family and friends.) Furthermore, organized group care was associated with significantly higher performance on assessments of socioemotional competence and language development compared to maternal-only care. These findings have important program and policy implications highlighting the benefits of child care participation and the importance of creating awareness of these benefits, as well as promoting increased access to child care.