Children’s involvement in home-based childcare: are boys more susceptible to caregiver sensitivity than girls?

Children who are in high-quality childcare are encouraged to explore the material and social environment. Boys and girls might differ in their susceptibility to this quality of childcare. In the current study, we tested whether childcare quality is related to children's involvement in home-based childcare, and whether child gender acts as a moderator in this association. Childcare quality (caregiver sensitivity and global quality) and children's involvement were observed at 103 home-based childcare settings, including 103 female caregivers and 162 children (86 boys). Results showed that boys showed lower involvement (than girls) when they were in the care of a less sensitive caregiver and higher involvement (than girls) when they were in the care of a more sensitive caregiver. In addition, boys and girls in smaller groups showed higher involvement than children in larger groups. Global childcare quality was not related to children's involvement. This study shows that it is important, especially for boys, to be taken care of by a sensitive caregiver, who supports and encourages children to be involved in their play, and to explore the world around them.