ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the quality of center-based child care and education for infants. Thirty classrooms for infants from Setúbal and Palmela, in the south of Portugal, participated in this study. The overall quality of these classrooms was assessed with the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale - Revised Edition and caregivers' socialization practices were measured with the Caregiver Interaction Scale. Findings suggest that these classrooms present moderate overall quality and high-quality caregiving interaction behaviors. The associations between these process quality measures and selected classroom structural features suggest, among other implications, the need to ensure the presence of professionals with university degrees in early childhood education in these settings.
Keywords:
child care quality; interactions; infant classrooms