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Preschoolers' vocabulary acquisition sets the stage for later reading ability and school achievement. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status (SES) and the quality of the home environment of seventy-seven Chilean majority and Mapuche minority families from low and lower-middle-class backgrounds in explaining individual differences in vocabulary acquisition of their three-and-a-half-year-old children. Additionally, we investigated whether the relation between SES and receptive and expressive vocabulary was mediated by the quality of the home environment as the Family Investment Model suggests. The quality of the home environment significantly predicted receptive and expressive vocabulary above and beyond ethnicity, SES, parental caregiver status, and quantity of daycare. Furthermore, the quality of the home environment mediated the relation between SES and expressive and receptive vocabulary acquisition.

Research Findings: Two longitudinal studies are reported examining the effects of full-time day care in Mapuche and non-Mapuche families in Chile. First, the Magellan-Leiden Childcare Study (MLCS) used a sample of 95 mothers with children younger than 1 year old (n = 36 in day care). Second, we partially cross-validated our results in a large and representative sample of 10,723 mothers and their children from the Chilean Encuesta Longitudinal de la Primera Infancia (Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey). In both studies, the quality of care for children provided at home was measured with the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment. In the MLCS study, additional indicators of the mother-child relationship were measured. Day care was not negatively associated with the mother-child relationship and maternal sensitivity, compared to maternal care, or with the quality of the home environment. Positive changes in attachment security were found in Mapuche children who attended day care centers. Practice or Policy: We were able to confirm that type of care was not differentially associated with quality of the home environment.

- Maternal supportive discipline is vital to preschoolers' school readiness attainment. - Child executive functions were unaffected by parental beliefs or parenting practices. - Parenting skills have the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of low- socioeconomic status. - Empirical knowledge on family processes can guide intervention efforts in preschool settings. Parental beliefs and parenting practices in early childhood are fundamental for the development of preschoolers' school readiness and executive functions. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, maternal self-competence, parental cognitive stimulation, and maternal supportive discipline as predictors of five-year-old preschoolers' school readiness and executive function abilities in 70 families of low-SES homes with a Chilean majority or indigenous Mapuche minority background in Chile. Additionally, the mediating role of parental beliefs and parenting practices between SES and school readiness or executive functioning respectively was investigated as suggested by the Family Stress Model. Results show that maternal supportive discipline predicted school readiness above and beyond SES and ethnicity. Furthermore, maternal supportive discipline mediated the relation between SES and school readiness, whereby higher SES positively affected maternal supportive discipline, which in turn had a favorable effect on school readiness. All other associations were non-significant. The outcomes highlight that parental involvement of culturally diverse families from low-SES backgrounds is important for children's cognitive development. School readiness of Chilean preschoolers from low-SES homes might possibly be improved by enhancing maternal sensitivity and positive behavioral control strategies. These parenting skills have the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of low-SES environments to some extent. The findings of this study inform interventions integrated into early childhood education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies are reported examining ethnicity differences in child rearing between Mapuche and non-Mapuche families in Chile. The first study, the Magellan-Leiden Childcare Study (MLCS), consists of a sample of 110 mothers ( n = 42 Mapuche) with children younger than 1 year old ( M = 6.41 months old). In the second study, we cross-validated our results in a large and representative sample of 14,906 mothers ( n = 1,050 Mapuche) and their children ( M = 30.38 months old) from the Chilean Encuesta Longitudinal de la Primera Infancia (ELPI). In both studies, the actual quality of care for children provided at home was measured with the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment. In the MLCS study, additional indicators of the childcare environment were measured, e.g. mothers' beliefs and attitudes about parenting. The results of both the MLCS study and the ELPI study support our hypothesis that Mapuche and non-Mapuche parents do not provide substantially different child rearing environments for their children. In both studies, the differences between the two ethnic groups are explained by income, which confirms the important role that socio-economic factors play in child rearing and parenting. It is concluded that preserving cultural differences and traditions is an important goal in itself but that for childcare in Chile it seems equally important to eliminate socio-economic inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several studies have shown that quality of childcare is a potentially important determinant of child outcomes. Despite the enormous growth in public childcare centers in Chile, little is known about the quality of these childcare centers. Objective: The main purpose was to evaluate the quality of a sample of public childcare centers in Chile and to compare it with the quality levels found in previous Chilean studies. Another goal was to compare the quality in Chilean public childcare centers with that found in other countries worldwide, using the same instrument. Methods: The study assessed the quality of 17 public childcare centers in Chile using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised (Harms et al., Infant/toddler environment rating scale-revised, New York, Teachers College Press, ). The results were placed in a Chilean and an international perspective through a meta-analysis involving 2,171 childcare groups in 10 countries Results: A moderate level of quality of childcare was found, which did not differ from the previous quality levels reported in Chile. Chilean childcare centers scored low on personal care routines (e.g., hygiene) but high on quality of caregiver-child interactions. Chilean quality of childcare is below the worldwide average but comparable to that in various European countries. Conclusion: It is concluded that the large increase in the number of public childcare centers in Chile during the past 10 years did not negatively affect their quality. Several measures to improve Chilean childcare quality are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses significant changes in childcare policy and practice in Chile. We distinguish four specific periods of childcare history: child abandonment and the creation of foundling homes in the 19th century; efforts to reduce infant mortality and the creation of the health care system in the first half of the 20th century; an increasing focus on inequality and poverty and the consequences for child development in the second half of the 20th century; and, finally, the current focus on children's social and emotional development. It is concluded that, although Chile has achieved infant mortality and malnutrition rates comparable to those of developed countries, the country bears the mark of a history of inequality and is still unable to fully guarantee the health of children from the poorest sectors of society. Recent initiatives seek to improve this situation and put a strong emphasis on the psychosocial condition of children and their families.