American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 20, No. 1, 1992 The Social Policy Context of Child Care: Effects on Quality 1 Deborah A. Phillips 2 University of Virginia Carollee Howes Universily of Los Angeles Marcy Whitebook Child Care Employee Project Examined effects on the quality of children's child care environments of (a) the stringency of state child care regulations, (b) voluntary compliance with proposed federal child care standards, and (c) the legal auspice of the center. Quality of care was assessed in 227 child care centers in five metropolitan areas. Centers in states with more stringent child care regulations tended to have better staff-child ratios, staff with more child-related training, and lower staff turnover rates. Similarly, centers that more fully complied with the ratio, group size, and training provisions of a set of proposed federal child care standards had significantly lower staff turnover rates, more age-appropriate classroom activities, less harsh and more sensitive teachers, and more teachers with specialized training. For-profit centers offered children less optimal care 1The authors thank the Foundation for Child Development, A. L. Mailman Family Foundation, Ford Foundation, Smith-Richardson Foundation, Spunk Fund, Inc., and the Carnegie Corporation for their generous support of this research. We also acknowledge the enormous contribution of the research teams in each site without whom this study would not have been possible. Michael Kiernan and Ann Ricciuti at the University of Virginia provided expert assistance with analyses. Finally, and most important, we thank the many child care directors and teachers who spent many hours enabling us to collect the data for this study. 2All correspondence should be sent to Deborah A. Phillips, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Gilmer Hall, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-2477. 25 0091--0562/92/0200-0025506.50/0 © 1992PlenumPublishing Corporation