Higher caregiver salary is associated with higher interactive skills, though causality cannot be determined¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Salary showed a small significant positive association with interactive skills (r = .22) across five studies. → Støve 2026

Evidence¶

Støve 2026¶

Støve, L. L., Dalgaard, N. T., Mohr, J. W., Hansen, J. E., Wendelboe, K. I., Hestbaek, E., Vieira, C. C., Væver, M. S., & Smith-Nielsen, J. (2026). Individual and Structural Factors Associated with Interactive Skills of Child-Care Professionals in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10162-3

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r3

Meta-analysis of k = 5 studies (N = 1020): r = .221, 95% CI [0.04, 0.41], p = .020. The review notes salary "is often closely linked to qualifications and educational level" and may reflect broader center-level quality.

"Our meta-analysis found a small, significant, positive association between salary and interactive skills."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Higher caregiver education level is associated with higher interactive skills of individual child-care professionals (r = .21) — related
• Caregiver mentalizing abilities and mental well-being are positively associated with interactive skills, with mentalizing sensitive to estimation method — related
• Smaller group sizes and lower child-caregiver ratios are associated with higher interactive skills of individual caregivers — related
• The ratio–interactive-skills association may be partly or entirely attributable to small-study publication bias — related
• Work experience, tenure, perceived support, caregiver age, stability, child sex, and center size show no significant association with interactive skills — related