Cost

1
Cost Quality in Massachusetts

• What is the quality
• What is the cost?
• What is the relationship of quality to cost
• Full-day, year round programs in 2000
• Serving children 2.9 to 5 years
• 90 preschool classrooms

2
Summary of Findings

• Quality averages close to good
• Quality varies by family income
• Quality is related to cost, but not linearly
• Labor cost and teacher education are the most
  strongly related to quality
• Space was the most commonly donated cost

3
Average Subscale and Total ECERS-R Scales
4
Percent of Classrooms Meeting Good Benchmark, by
Income Group Served
5
Standardized Estimates of Relationships Between
Regulatables and Process Quality Measures (N88)
Stimulation Warmth Sensitivity Engagement ECERS-R Process Quality Index
ChildStaff Ratio -.23 -.17 -.15 -.27 -.24
Group Size .14 .05 -.07 .17 .05
Teacher Education .31 .23 .32 .26 .26
R2 .10 .06 .10 .10 .08
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6
How much did the programs cost?

• Revenues 3.71 per hour, 8,681 per year FT
• Expenditures 3.41 per hour, 7,979 per year FT
• Full cost 4.12 per hour, 9,641per year FT
• Cost varies by Quality
• Little change from poor to good
• Substantial increases above good moving toward
  excel.

7
Revenue Sources
8
Average Expenditures
9
Mean Costs by ECERS-R Score
10
Differences by Family Income

• Total revenue goes down slightly from low to
  moderate, but is higher for high income
• 3.20, 2.92, 4.38
• Government provides most revenue for low income
• Fees provide most revenue for moderate to high
  income
• Total Expenditures follow the same pattern
• Labor expenditures increase with income and are
  much higher for high income

11
Expenditures by Income of Families Served
12
Labor Costs by Centers Average Education Level
13
More Information

• Nancy Marshall
• Center for Research on Women
• Wellesley College