Quality of child care centers and commitment of their caregivers.

Abstract

The study investigates factors having an impact on child caregivers employed in center-based settings. One goal of the study is to assess variables predictive of high and low levels of commitment. A second goal is to examine the job satisfaction and the perception of job characteristics of caregivers who work in centers of high, average and low quality. A final research question is concerned with determining the relative influence job satisfaction, characteristics of the job, characteristics of the caregiver and characteristics of the center of employment have on commitment. The subjects, 381 child caregivers employed in 94 licensed child care facilities in the state of Michigan, completed and returned questionnaires. Evidence is presented to support the following statements: (1) caregiver commitment and caregiver perception of characteristics of the job do not vary as a result of the quality of the child care center in which the caregiver is employed; (2) caregivers in high quality centers are significantly less satisfied with their pay than are caregivers in low quality centers; (3) committed caregivers are more satisfied with every aspect of their jobs and they perceive the characteristics of their jobs as more motivating and meaningful; (4) caregivers who perceive their jobs as more complex and meaningful also are more satisfied with specific aspects of the job including supervision, promotions, coworkers, the work itself and the job in general; (5) commitment increases as age and wage increases; (6) caregiver commitment can be predicted by a model that includes satisfaction with the job, personal characteristics of the caregivers and perceptions of job characteristics. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis results indicate that satisfaction with the job accounts for the majority of variance in the commitment model. In conclusion, methods for promoting caregiver commitment such as increasing satisfaction with aspects of the job, promoting positive perceptions of job characteristics and increasing the wages caregivers receive are discussed. Conclusions also suggest that researchers and policy makers must be cognizant of the many ways to evaluate and assess the quality of child care facilities. These results are discussed in the context of the findings of previous studies, measurement limitations, and future research needs.