A system of regulation in child care includes legislated standards, monitoring, and enforcement. Standards do not guarantee quality but merely set a minimum baseline. Research shows that the presence of regulation and its strength are related to quality. In family day care, regulated caregivers are found to be more responsive and sensitive. Children in regulated family day care show better language development than those in unregulated care.
Research shows that auspice, or who owns the child care, has an impact on quality.
Adult to child ratios . The percentage of children receiving inadequate caregiving rises significantly with the addition of one or two children per adult. Lower staff turnover is associated with a less stressful child care environment. Children who experience many child care arrangements are likely to perform poorly in school and to exhibit insecurity. Group size refers to the total size of the group in which the child spends the day, with one or several caregivers.