A new report from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, (NIH) study ), dated March 26, 2007, released information regarding the effects of daycare on children.
Disappointingly, the findings released did not contain any different information than what is found in similar studies from 1991 to the present, conducted by the NIH.
The report does reiterate good news for all of the mothers who work and do not have any other option but to utilize daycare services, in that the strongest counter-measure to unfavorable daycare effects is good parenting.
In addition, the NIH reports,"Children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.” This trend seemed to follow the children throughout the academic career of the grade levels studied in this newest study.
Even with this welcome news, there were some nuggets of wisdom that were not so welcomed:
Of the 1364 children participating in the study through their fifth grade year, many of them were prone to disruptive classroom behavior as they grew older. Astonishingly enough, these trends (good and bad) were present when any care was given for at least 10 hours per week by anybody but the mother, including the father, grandparents and other relatives!
Types of disruptive behavior observed included:
- Bragging
- Arguing
- Cruelty
- Destruction of others property
- Disobedient at school
- Fighting
- Lying
- Cheating
- Screaming
Not to be ignored is the new report of the direct correlation between high-quality childcare and increased language skills. Even so, the positive effects on language (reading and vocabulary) did not follow the children after 54 months of age. This is in direct conflict with earlier NIH studies showing the quality of daycare did not play a significant part in increased language skills.
A July 16, 2003 report by New York Times reporter Susan Gilbert recalled earlier NIH studies (1991 to 2003) where children who spent 10 or more hours a week in childcare, and 10 percent spent more than 45 hours a week, created substantiating data to today's report:
"The correlation between quantity of child care and behavior problems remained even when other variables were taken into account, including the quality and type of the child care, the mother's sensitivity to her child's needs and the family's socioeconomic status." (Susan C. Crokenber, Professor of Psychology at University of Vermont cautions that boys are more vulnerable to negative child daycare than are girls as well).
Indeed, the study found that the time spent in childcare was linked more strongly with children's poor behavior than was the quality of care. This earlier information validates the NIH's latest findings where a "mother's sensitivity to the child's needs could moderate the outcome." The preliminary studies from the NIH, preceding both of the studies already mentioned, recorded a higher level of cortisol, a hormone associated to stress (and of late, obesity), in children younger than 3 during the afternoon of full-day daycare. If the child passed this time at home, cortisol levels fell.
Gilbert reports similar findings recalled from the Institute of Child Development - University of Minnesota.
The use of Daycare will always be one to cause debate in modern society, but it seems repeated studies done over the span of more than a decade render no more useful information for parents and childcare providers. Questions such as, What to do as an alternative to daycare? or How to improve the daycare system as it stands? are still open to debate.
The bottom line is this: The over-all conclusions from the bulk of these "scientific studies" tell mothers what they've known all along: Daycare remains a viable option for those who choose to work outside of the home with one caveat: The one-on-one time you spend with your child while not at work, a loving home environment and family values are still the determining factors deciding a child's ultimate ability for socialization and a successful academic career.
Does your family (or have you) use daycare for more than 10-hours per week? Have you had problems with any of the anti-social behaviors listed above? Share with other parents in our discussion area!
