A Comparative Exploration of the Pedagogical Quality of Parent-Led Child Care Centers and Regular Child Care in The Netherlands

Figures & data

Table 1. Descriptive background information on PLC parents and professional caregivers.

	PLC Parents (n = 54)		Professional Caregivers (n = 29)
Variable	M (SD)	%	M (SD)	%
Age (years)	38.63 (5.40)		34.39 (7.23)
Hours with group per week	5.68 (2.28)		27.79 (6.68)
Sex
Male		29.6		2.8
Female		70.4		97.2
Country of birth
The Netherlands		81.5		86.0
Other		18.5		14.0
Native language
Dutch		83.3		86.0
Other		16.7		14.0
Highest level of education completed
Low—vocational		1.9
Intermediate—vocational		3.7		89.7
High—secondary		3.7		3.4
High—vocational		44.4		3.4
High—academic		46.3		3.4
Degree subject
Pedagogical		7.4		100
Psychological		3.7
Other		88.9
Work experience in child care		16.7		100
Completed parenting or child care course		50.0		100
Big Five
Extraversion	4.04 (0.67)		3.98 (0.69)
Agreeableness	4.22 (0.48)		4.23 (0.44)
Conscientiousness	3.86 (0.57)		4.26 (0.54)
Neuroticism	2.13 (0.64)		2.16 (0.64)
Openness to ideas	4.21 (0.47)		3.85 (0.62)
Emotional exhaustion	1.63 (0.50)		2.35 (0.96)
Structural quality
Group size	8.21 (2.50)		10.86 (3.15)
Caregiver–child ratio	0.26 (0.02)		0.21 (0.05)

Note. PLC = parent-led child care.

Table 2. PLC parents’ and professional caregivers’ scores on Caregiver Interaction Profile scales with effect sizes for differences between PLC and regular child care.

	PLC Caregivers (n = 54)			Professional Caregivers (n = 36)
Scale	M	SD	Range	M	SD	Range	ESPLC-CC
Sensitive responsiveness	5.46	0.78	3.3–6.8	5.86	0.58	4.8–7.0	−0.56*
Respect for autonomy	5.15	0.74	3.8–6.8	5.63	0.58	4.5–7.0	−0.70*
Structuring and limit setting	5.30	0.94	3.0–7.0	5.65	0.93	2.5–7.0	−0.37
Verbal communication	4.71	0.91	3.0–6.8	4.88	0.92	3.0–7.0	−0.18
Developmental stimulation	3.43	1.18	1.0–6.0	3.60	1.34	1.0–6.8	−0.14
Fostering positive peer interactions	3.09	1.13	1.0–6.3	2.88	1.28	1.0–6.0	0.17

Note. Score < 3.5 = unsatisfactory, 3.5 ≤ score < 4.5 = adequate, score ≥ 4.5 = satisfactory to good. PLC = parent-led child care; ES_PLC-CC = effect size for the mean difference between PLC and regular child care.

*p < .05.

Table 3. Means, standard deviations, and standardized scores for perceptions of PLC parents’ and professional caregivers’ affective relationships with their own children and other children, divided by sex.

	PLC Caregivers				Professional Caregivers
	Own Child		Other Children		Other Children
	Boy	Girl	Boy	Girl	Boy	Girl
Variable	(n = 13)	(n = 20)	(n = 68)	(n = 107)	(n = 45)	(n = 87)
Closeness	4.82 (0.13)	4.80 (0.24)	4.20 (0.54)	4.30 (0.47)	4.41 (0.49)	4.60 (0.34)
Standardized score	Average	Average	Average	Average	Average	Average
Dependency	2.77 (1.04)	2.81 (0.75)	1.63 (0.60)	1.66 (0.66)	1.68 (0.56)	1.91 (0.70)
Standardized score	Above average	Above average	Average	Average	Average	Average
Conflict	1.95 (0.55)	2.11 (0.58)	1.62 (0.59)	1.61 (0.65)	1.44 (0.61)	1.40 (0.55)
Standardized score	Average to low	Average	Average to low	Average to low	Average to low	Average to low

Note. PLC = parent-led child care.