# THE NICHD STUDY OF EARLY CHILD CARE

> **NIH NIH U10** · UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK · 1993 · $894,487

## Abstract

This study, using a limited ecological model, will investigate
certain developmental outcomes associated with patterns of early
child care.  The central questions is how and to what extent
various combinations of care inside and outside the home influence
the developmental trajectories of young children.  The model uses
a concept of alternate child care which is continuous rather than
dichotomous with regard to quantity as well as quality.  This
concept mandates a research design which places children along this
continuum, rather than assigning them to one of two theoretically
completely separable groups, and examines associated developmental
outcomes.  Likewise, it specifies the necessity of looking at
alternate care within the context of parental history (including
early child care) and personality, current family stresses and
supports, quality of home care, and extent and quality of alternate
care utilized.

The study will follow a cohort sample of all infants born during
a one-month period in two Little Rock hospitals whose parents
consent to participate.  Contact with the families will be made
every three months, alternately in person and by telephone, until
the children reach 42 months of age.  At all contacts, information
will be obtained about the family, the child, and any alternate
care received by the child during the interim.  Attachment of the
child to the parents, and, likewise, attachment of the parents to
the child, will be monitored at several points during the early
years rather than in a single assessment.  This reciprocal
attachment will be examined both as an intervening variable which
can influence the impact of alternate care on the children and as
a dependent variable.  The major dependent variables assessed in
the children will be developmental level, health, and social
competence.  The investigators are enthusiastic about participating
in the collaborative project and will modify planned assessment
instruments and the assessment timetable to accommodate the shared
protocol.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2199587
- **Project number:** 5U10HD025460-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK
- **SAM.gov UEI:** DBP4N9GHCA14
- **Principal Investigator:** ROBERT H. BRADLEY
- **Activity code:** U10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $894,487
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1989-05-01 → 1995-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2199587

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2199587, THE NICHD STUDY OF EARLY CHILD CARE (5U10HD025460-05). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2199587. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*