INFANT DAY-CARE AND CHILDRENS SOCIAL COMPETENCE

Although children enrolled in infant day care during their first year have sometimes been characterized as aggressive with their peers and m ore noncompliant with adults, they have been characterized as more soc iable with their peers as well. Few studies have examined individual d ifferences in day care children's social competence nor have studies e xamined multiple influences on the nature of toddlers' social interact ions in day care. In this investigation, socioeconomic status, family relations, temperament, and day care quantity and quality were examine d as predictors of toddlers' social interactions using a sample of 36 children who had been enrolled in either a high- or low-quality day ca re center sometime during their first year. Quality of care served as a compensatory factor in decreasing the likelihood of social difficult ies for temperamentally vulnerable children. Multiple-regression model s revealed that day care quality was a consistent predictor of childre n's nonsocial play and positive interactions with caregivers, whereas day care experience was not.