Using first to fourth wave data of the Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC), this study explores the effects of childcare center use, maternal employment, and other child and familial characteristics on the language development of toddlers in Korea. Among the 2078 families with children in the PSKC, those who completed the Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test at the fourth wave were selected, and a small number of disabled or prematurely born children were excluded. In addition, to clarify the effects of maternal employment, families with mothers who were either employed or unemployed for three consecutive years during the child's infancy were selected. Regression analysis showed that neither childcare center use nor maternal employment during infancy had significant effects on toddlers’ expressive and receptive vocabulary at the fourth wave. Family characteristics, such as household poverty and maternal education level, as well as child characteristics, such as gender and birth order, had significant effects on expressed vocabulary. However, only children's gender significantly affected the receptive vocabulary level of toddlers.

中文翻译：

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韩国婴儿托儿中心的使用和母亲就业对幼儿语言发展的影响

本研究使用韩国儿童小组研究 (PSKC) 的第一至第四波数据，探讨了儿童保育中心的使用、母亲就业以及其他儿童和家庭特征对韩国幼儿语言发展的影响。在PSKC的2078个有孩子的家庭中，选择了在第四波完成接受和表达词汇测试的家庭，排除了少数残疾或早产儿。此外，为了明确孕产妇就业的影响，选择了母亲在孩子婴儿期连续三年就业或失业的家庭。回归分析表明，在婴儿期使用托儿中心和母亲就业对第四波幼儿的表达和接受词汇没有显着影响。家庭特征，如家庭贫困和母亲受教育程度，以及儿童特征，如性别和出生顺序，对表达的词汇有显着影响。然而，独生子女的性别显着影响幼儿的接受词汇水平。