Table 2.
Characteristics and Policies of Preschools by Centre Type and Total Sample
| Characteristic | Source | Commercial (n = 106) | Faith-Based (n = 70) | Head Start (n = 53) | Total Sample (n = 229) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time spent in outdoor open space (intervals) | OSRAC-P | 4.01 (1.91) | 4.40 (3.66) | 5.26 (2.05) | 4.42 (2.63) |
| Classroom size/child ratio (m2/child) | Measured | 0.13 (0.06) | 0.15 (0.07) | 0.17 (0.02) | 0.14 (0.06) |
| Teacher education (percent of teachers with college degree) | Director interview | 32.08 (22.91) | 39.83 (21.10) | 18.62 (11.12) | 31.26 (21.40) |
| Quality of preschool | ECERS-R | 5.03 (0.57) | 5.01 (0.49) | 4.89 (0.49) | 5.00 (0.53) |
| Fixed playground equipment (number of pieces) | Observation | 8.75 (4.27) | 8.61 (2.99) | 4.85 (1.29) | 7.81 (3.76) |
| Portable playground equipment (number of pieces) | Observation | 1.50 (1.53) | 2.02 (2.59) | 1.66 (1.07) | 1.70 (1.85) |
| Playground size (m2) | Measured and averaged over all playgrounds | 541.34 (286.93) | 1236.55 (1023.26) | 1236.68 (375.62) | 875.34 (718.46) |
| Field trips/month | Director interview | 1.22 (1.42) | 1.16 (1.23) | 1.06 (0.59) | 1.17 (1.21) |
| Community organization visits/month | Director interview | 2.49 (1.95) | 4.00 (0.00) | 0.00 (0.00) | 2.38 (1.97) |
| Minutes outside/day | Director interview | 78.02 (16.38) | 53.14 (30.40) | 30.00 (0.00) | 59.30 (27.88) |
| Electronic media use (intervals) | OSRAC-P | 3.48 (3.62) | 4.46 (4.07) | 3.42 (3.28) | 3.77 (3.70) |
Note: Data by centre type and for total sample are at the child level
“Intervals” – number of observed intervals of the noted behaviour during an observation session
ECERS-R – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised
OSRAC-P – Observation System for Recording Physical Activity in Children –Preschool version