How day-care practitioners support children’s language and play development

While previous research has linked DCP interaction quality to children's language, social, and cognitive outcomes, its connection to play development remains underexplored. Therefore, this study investigates the interaction quality of day-care practitioners (DCPs) during pretend play and its impact on children's language and play development in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in the Netherlands. Interaction quality was assessed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) for Toddlers in a pretend play context for 89 DCPs from 45 toddler groups in 33 locations. CLASS scores were matched with 269 children, whose receptive language skills were measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Additionally, 58 pretend play videos were analyzed involving 176 children, for observations of expressive language, play involvement, social- and pretend play development. Findings indicate that DCPs provided moderate to high emotional and behavioral support but demonstrated lower levels of engaged support for learning. Interestingly, a negative association emerged between emotional support and children's receptive language skills, possibly reflecting higher emotional support for younger children whose language skills are less developed. In contrast, positive associations were found when children engaged socially with DCPs. These results underscore the importance of practitioner involvement in pretend play to enhance developmental outcomes.