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Digest of Education Statistics
2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 112. Percentage of children demonstrating specific mental skills, physical skills, and secure emotional attachment to parents at about 2 years of age, by selected characteristics: 2003-04
Selected characteristic Percentage distribution of children1 Percent of children who demonstrate skills or secure emotional attachment
Specific mental skills2 Specific physical skills2 Secure emotional attachment to parents3
Receptive vocabu-lary4 Expressive vocabu-lary5 Listening compre-hension6 Matching/ discrim-ination7 Early coun-ting8 Skillful walking9 Balance10 Fine motor control11 Uses stairs12 Alternating balance13 Motor plan- ning14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Total 100.0 84.5 (0.38) 63.9 (0.53) 36.6 (0.42) 31.9 (0.39) 3.9 (0.14) 92.6 (0.20) 89.4 (0.33) 55.5 (0.48) 48.1 (0.41) 30.0 (0.47) 10.2 (0.21) 61.6 (1.12)
Sex of child                                                    
Male 51.1 (0.21) 81.4 (0.56) 59.2 (0.76) 32.9 (0.58) 28.4 (0.53) 3.0 (0.16) 92.0 (0.26) 88.4 (0.43) 54.2 (0.52) 46.9 (0.44) 28.7 (0.47) 9.6 (0.20) 55.0 (1.23)
Female 48.9 (0.21) 87.8 (0.38) 68.8 (0.59) 40.6 (0.50) 35.5 (0.48) 4.8 (0.20) 93.2 (0.20) 90.5 (0.32) 56.8 (0.53) 49.3 (0.47) 31.3 (0.55) 10.9 (0.26) 68.4 (1.27)
                                                   
Race/ethnicity of child                                                    
White 54.7 (0.60) 88.7 (0.40) 70.8 (0.63) 42.2 (0.52) 37.1 (0.49) 5.2 (0.21) 92.8 (0.23) 89.9 (0.38) 55.8 (0.58) 48.4 (0.50) 30.2 (0.59) 10.4 (0.26) 65.7 (1.41)
Black 13.4 (0.29) 79.4 (0.93) 55.7 (1.18) 29.9 (0.86) 25.5 (0.75) 2.2 (0.21) 93.3 (0.40) 90.6 (0.66) 58.0 (0.94) 50.2 (0.79) 32.5 (0.87) 11.2 (0.37) 53.2 (2.14)
Hispanic 24.5 (0.45) 78.3 (0.99) 53.7 (1.19) 28.2 (0.83) 24.1 (0.73) 1.9 (0.16) 91.6 (0.42) 87.9 (0.69) 53.5 (0.76) 46.3 (0.65) 28.2 (0.66) 9.4 (0.27) 57.4 (1.84)
Asian 2.7 (0.10) 82.6 (1.24) 62.0 (1.41) 35.4 (0.94) 30.7 (0.83) 3.7 (0.27) 92.4 (0.40) 89.2 (0.66) 54.8 (0.92) 47.5 (0.73) 29.3 (0.77) 9.9 (0.29) 60.9 (2.28)
Pacific Islander 0.2 (0.05) 78.9 (4.10) 54.2 (5.76) 27.8 (4.24) 23.2 (3.56) 1.1 (0.36) 92.8 (1.32) 90.0 (2.26) 54.0 (3.94) 46.5 (2.95) 27.3 (3.18) 8.9 (1.21) 62.4 (12.44)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.5 (0.06) 74.9 (4.02) 49.9 (4.18) 25.5 (2.70) 21.7 (2.24) 1.4 (0.28) 92.3 (0.71) 89.0 (1.30) 55.0 (1.16) 47.8 (0.92) 29.8 (1.07) 10.2 (0.46) 46.3 (5.19)
Two or more races 3.9 (0.29) 85.0 (0.98) 64.5 (1.60) 37.0 (1.36) 32.2 (1.35) 3.7 (0.57) 92.4 (0.53) 89.1 (0.92) 54.5 (1.30) 47.2 (1.07) 28.9 (1.19) 9.7 (0.53) 61.6 (3.12)
                                                   
Age of child                                                    
22 months 2.0 (0.30) 78.1 (2.15) 53.1 (2.77) 28.4 (2.34) 24.5 (2.31) 2.9 (1.01) 90.9 (1.68) 86.5 (2.78) 53.4 (3.05) 46.5 (2.70) 29.2 (2.77) 10.6 (1.58) 65.1 (5.06)
23 months 42.3 (1.22) 81.9 (0.54) 60.1 (0.66) 33.4 (0.47) 28.8 (0.41) 2.9 (0.13) 92.2 (0.27) 88.7 (0.45) 54.3 (0.59) 47.0 (0.49) 28.8 (0.53) 9.7 (0.22) 62.7 (1.40)
24 months 42.0 (1.02) 86.5 (0.42) 66.9 (0.65) 39.1 (0.56) 34.3 (0.54) 4.6 (0.23) 92.9 (0.22) 90.0 (0.37) 56.1 (0.57) 48.6 (0.48) 30.4 (0.57) 10.4 (0.25) 60.8 (1.65)
25 months 13.7 (0.54) 87.4 (0.58) 68.3 (0.91) 40.3 (0.78) 35.4 (0.77) 5.0 (0.35) 93.0 (0.35) 90.2 (0.56) 57.5 (0.79) 50.0 (0.68) 32.4 (0.81) 11.4 (0.40) 59.8 (1.90)
                                                   
Primary type of care
   arrangement15
                                                   
No regular nonparental
     arrangement
50.8 (0.75) 83.4 (0.50) 62.0 (0.70) 34.8 (0.56) 30.2 (0.52) 3.3 (0.17) 92.2 (0.26) 88.8 (0.43) 54.5 (0.55) 47.2 (0.47) 29.0 (0.52) 9.7 (0.22) 62.1 (1.35)
Home-based care                                                    
Relative care16 18.6 (0.63) 83.2 (0.70) 61.6 (1.04) 34.7 (0.84) 30.1 (0.78) 3.6 (0.29) 92.7 (0.30) 89.7 (0.49) 55.8 (0.79) 48.3 (0.67) 30.1 (0.77) 10.3 (0.35) 57.5 (1.93)
Nonrelative care17 14.5 (0.57) 86.7 (0.72) 67.7 (1.00) 39.8 (0.81) 34.8 (0.76) 4.4 (0.29) 93.3 (0.27) 90.6 (0.46) 57.1 (0.73) 49.5 (0.63) 31.5 (0.74) 10.8 (0.35) 61.1 (2.23)
Center-based care18 15.6 (0.51) 87.5 (0.69) 69.4 (0.99) 41.6 (0.84) 36.7 (0.82) 5.5 (0.47) 93.0 (0.31) 90.2 (0.50) 56.9 (0.70) 49.5 (0.61) 31.8 (0.74) 11.2 (0.37) 64.6 (1.87)
Multiple arrangements19 0.5 (0.09) 81.7 (5.66) 63.1 (7.07) 38.0 (5.92) 33.8 (5.68) 6.2 (2.87) 91.3 (1.70) 87.1 (2.97) 52.4 (3.41) 45.8 (2.92) 27.9 (3.29) 9.8 (1.62) 72.2 (8.48)
                                                   
Mother's employment status                                                    
Full-time (35 hours or more) 34.3 (0.77) 85.6 (0.57) 65.8 (0.83) 38.2 (0.66) 33.4 (0.62) 4.2 (0.24) 93.0 (0.25) 90.1 (0.42) 56.7 (0.65) 49.1 (0.56) 31.2 (0.66) 10.8 (0.31) 59.8 (1.58)
Part-time (less than 35 hours) 20.2 (0.66) 86.6 (0.64) 67.6 (0.98) 39.7 (0.84) 34.8 (0.80) 4.7 (0.37) 92.8 (0.28) 89.8 (0.47) 55.5 (0.70) 48.1 (0.58) 29.8 (0.66) 10.1 (0.30) 65.2 (1.54)
Looking for work 6.3 (0.35) 80.1 (1.28) 56.6 (1.77) 30.2 (1.33) 25.8 (1.20) 1.9 (0.24) 92.0 (0.48) 88.4 (0.81) 53.8 (1.04) 46.7 (0.85) 28.5 (0.91) 9.6 (0.37) 58.8 (3.07)
Not in labor force 38.8 (0.82) 83.1 (0.56) 61.6 (0.77) 34.7 (0.63) 30.1 (0.60) 3.4 (0.21) 92.2 (0.26) 88.8 (0.42) 54.7 (0.56) 47.3 (0.48) 29.2 (0.54) 9.9 (0.24) 61.5 (1.41)
No mother in household 0.4 (0.10) 79.3 (4.59) 54.8 (6.99) 30.5 (5.93) 26.8 (5.54) 5.1 (2.84) 93.8 (1.33) 91.2 (2.31) 57.5 (3.88) 49.9 (3.08) 31.7 (3.45) 10.7 (1.38) 56.9 (9.41)
                                                   
Parents' highest level
   of education
                                                   
Less than high school 12.2 (0.38) 76.5 (0.97) 50.4 (1.28) 25.4 (0.92) 21.5 (0.78) 1.2 (0.13) 91.2 (0.43) 87.2 (0.71) 52.7 (0.84) 45.6 (0.69) 27.4 (0.71) 9.0 (0.28) 51.8 (2.87)
High school completion 26.6 (0.50) 81.9 (0.61) 58.8 (0.86) 32.0 (0.66) 27.4 (0.61) 2.5 (0.17) 92.4 (0.31) 89.2 (0.50) 55.2 (0.69) 47.8 (0.59) 29.7 (0.65) 10.0 (0.27) 54.8 (1.81)
Some college/vocational 28.3 (0.52) 84.5 (0.61) 64.1 (0.86) 36.7 (0.70) 31.8 (0.66) 3.6 (0.21) 92.6 (0.29) 89.4 (0.49) 55.6 (0.67) 48.2 (0.57) 30.2 (0.64) 10.4 (0.29) 62.6 (1.80)
Bachelor's degree 17.5 (0.46) 88.5 (0.66) 71.0 (1.11) 42.5 (0.99) 37.4 (0.98) 5.3 (0.47) 93.2 (0.31) 90.5 (0.52) 56.6 (0.79) 49.1 (0.67) 30.9 (0.78) 10.7 (0.37) 67.1 (2.12)
Any graduate education 15.4 (0.39) 90.4 (0.60) 74.7 (0.93) 46.5 (0.79) 41.4 (0.78) 7.1 (0.37) 93.0 (0.36) 90.2 (0.61) 56.5 (0.80) 48.9 (0.68) 30.8 (0.77) 10.6 (0.35) 72.8 (1.90)
                                                   
Poverty status20                                                    
Below poverty threshold 23.0 (0.80) 78.7 (0.85) 54.6 (1.11) 29.0 (0.81) 24.8 (0.72) 2.1 (0.18) 91.8 (0.32) 88.1 (0.53) 54.1 (0.70) 46.8 (0.60) 28.8 (0.67) 9.6 (0.28) 52.7 (1.73)
At or above poverty threshold 77.0 (0.80) 86.2 (0.37) 66.7 (0.53) 38.9 (0.44) 34.0 (0.42) 4.4 (0.18) 92.8 (0.21) 89.8 (0.35) 55.9 (0.53) 48.4 (0.45) 30.3 (0.51) 10.4 (0.23) 64.2 (1.22)
                                                   
Socioeconomic status21                                                    
Lowest 20 percent 19.0 (0.53) 77.3 (0.87) 51.6 (1.11) 26.4 (0.81) 22.5 (0.71) 1.6 (0.20) 91.7 (0.34) 88.0 (0.57) 53.6 (0.74) 46.4 (0.63) 28.2 (0.68) 9.4 (0.28) 51.5 (2.06)
Middle 60 percent 60.4 (0.75) 84.5 (0.48) 63.9 (0.68) 36.4 (0.55) 31.5 (0.51) 3.5 (0.17) 92.5 (0.24) 89.4 (0.40) 55.5 (0.59) 48.1 (0.51) 30.0 (0.58) 10.2 (0.26) 61.4 (1.43)
Highest 20 percent 20.5 (0.55) 91.1 (0.44) 75.4 (0.80) 46.7 (0.70) 41.5 (0.70) 7.0 (0.38) 93.4 (0.24) 90.8 (0.41) 57.2 (0.65) 49.5 (0.55) 31.5 (0.64) 10.9 (0.29) 71.5 (1.86)
†Not applicable.
1 Distribution of weighted Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort survey population between 22 and 25 months of age.
2 Based on assessments collected using the Bayley Short Form Research Edition (BSF-R), a shortened field method of administering the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II (BSID-II) (Bayley 1993). The scores are fully equated with the BSID-II. The proficiency probabilities indicate mastery of a specific skill or ability within mental or physical domains.
3 Secure attachment was measured by trained observers using Toddler Attachment Sort-45 Item (TAS-45) assessment. The formation of secure attachments in early childhood is an indicator that the child is able to use the parent as a secure base from which to explore novel stimuli in the environment freely and acquire a sense of self-confidence and adaptability to new and challenging situations. Other possible scale classifications in this metric were avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized/disorientated.
4 Ability to recognize and understand spoken words or to indicate a named object by pointing.
5 Verbal expressiveness using gestures, words, and sentences.
6 Ability to understand actions depicted by a story, in pictures, or by verbal instructions.
7 Ability to match objects by their properties (e.g., color) or differentiate one object from another.
8 Knowledge of counting words, knowledge of ordinality, and understanding of simple quantities.
9 Ability to walk independently.
10 Ability to maintain balance when changing position.
11 Ability to use fine motor control with hands, such as grasping a pencil or holding a piece of paper while scribbling.
12 Ability to walk up and down stairs, with and without alternating feet.
13 Ability to maintain balance when changing position or when in motion, such as jumping.
14 Ability to anticipate, regulate, and execute motor movements, such as being able to attempt to replicate the motions of others.
15 The type of nonparental care in which the child spent the most hours.
16 Care provided in the child's home or in another private home by a relative (excluding parents).
17 Care provided in the child's home or in another private home by a person unrelated to the child.
18 Care provided in places such as early learning centers, nursery schools, and preschools, including Head Start.
19 Children who spent an equal amount of time in each of two or more arrangements.
20 Poverty status based on Census Bureau guidelines from 2002, which identify a dollar amount determined to meet a household's needs, given its size and composition. In 2002, a family of four was considered to live below the poverty threshold if its income was less than or equal to $18,392.
21 Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by a composite score on parental education and occupations, and family income.
NOTE: Estimates weighted by W2R0. Estimates pertain to children assessed between 22 months and 25 months of age. Children younger than 22 months (less than 1 percent of the survey population) and children older than 25 months (approximately 9 percent of the survey population) are excluded from this table. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort 9-month–Preschool Restricted-Use Data File and Electronic Codebook. (This table was prepared February 2008.)

2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest