Care Arrangements and Infant Development: The First Thousand Days Study in Santiago, Chile.

This study draws on data from the Chilean Longitudinal First Thousand Days Study to examine early caregiving arrangements and their associations with developmental outcomes among 14-month-old children (n = 1161) in Santiago, Chile. We describe the types of care arrangements-parental, grandparental, relatives, center-based, and non-relatives-by main sociodemographic characteristics and explore their relation to infants' daily routines and early development. Results reveal that while most children receive parental care, a notable proportion are cared for by grandparents or attend center-based programs. Controlling for child characteristics, mother and family background, and home environment, children in center-based care exhibited slightly higher cognitive scores (β = 0.69, SE = 0.35, p = 0.047) than those in exclusive parental care. On the other hand, children in non-relatives' care show lower cognitive scores (β = -1.48, SE = 0.70, p = 0.036) than those in parental care. These findings suggest that in contexts like Chile, decisions and possibilities regarding care arrangements are relevant to children, fostering or inhibiting their early development. Implications for policy and practice in early childhood care are discussed.