The Relation between the Ratio of Children Per Activity Area and Off-Task Behavior and Type of Play in Day Care Centers

Given the explosion in growth of out-of-the-home child care, increasing attention is being focused on the developmental consequences of early childhood environments. The authors show that the ratio of children to the number of activity areas in the classroom is positively correlated with off-task time. There is also a marginal, negative correlation to engagement in constructive play. Use of hierarchical linear modeling allowed the authors to examine these processes in a repeated measures design, with controls for center and for family income.