The effect of group size, staff-child ratio, training, and other characteristics of child care on child development is estimated using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. In contrast to most previous research, the sample is large and nationally representative, the data contain good measures of the home environment, and there are repeated measures of child development. Child care characteristics have little association with child development on average. Associations are found for some groups of children, but they are as likely to be of the "wrong" sign as they are to be of the sign predicted by developmental psychologists.

David M. Blau is a professor of Economics and a researcher at the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gardner Hall. Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3305, david_blau@unc.edu. This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The author is grateful for the support of NICHD and for the capable research assistance of Alison Auginbaugh and Erdal Tekin, and the careful typing of Saundra Thomas. Helpful comments were received from Naci Mocan, Carol Rapaport, Seth Sanders, two referees, and seminar participants at the Carolina Population Center, the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin, and the NBER. The author claims responsibility for errors and opinions. The data used in this article can be obtained beginning June 2000 through May 2003 from the author.

© 2002 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

US ISSN 0022-166X

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