Quality is higher in non-profit centres than commercial, study reports

Community Action, Jan 24, 2005

TORONTO -- Quality is higher in non-profit child care centres than in commercial facilities, stated economists Gordon Cleveland and Michael Krashinsky.

"From our study, it appears that non-profit child care would make good public policy," said Professor Cleveland.

It found that quality differences between non-profit and commercial classrooms were greatest in the areas of:

* Personal care provided to children, such as diapering, rest and meals (6.9% higher scores in non profit centres);

* Use of materials, activities and teaching interactions that affect language and thought development (non-profit centres scored 6.5% higher).

* The way staff interact with children, including supervision and discipline, encouragement, warmth and respect (non-profit centres rated 8.3% higher);

* Issues specific to parents and staff, such as the level of staff communication to parents about their children, and support for the personal and professional needs of staff (non-profits scored 18.6% higher).

The two University of Toronto professors report that on all comparative criteria of care and education, the non-profits outperformed the commercial group. They claim that non-profit child care centres outscore their commercial counterparts in all aspects of early learning and care.

The study, The quality gap: A study of non-profit and commercial child care centres in Canada is the first to analyze ratings statistically for observed quality in child care centres.

The comparisons were adjusted to account for the financial resources available and higher educational levels of staff in the non-profits; the for-profit programs still came out poor in quality.

Non-profit centres are better regardless of the province where the centres are located and child population served.

Among the commercial centres, those owned by individuals fared better than incorporated businesses, partnerships and other for-profit providers, who had the lowest ratings.

The study analyzed data collected in 1998 and reported in You Bet I Care! Caring and Learning Environments: Quality in Child Care Centres Across Canada and A Canada-Wide Study on Wages and Working Conditions in Child Care Centres. 416-287-7317