This article examines some of the benefits of center-based childcare on children’s development.
Structure and Rhythm
A typical day in daycare is usually structured by a succession of different activities. In good kindergartens, even the course of the year will have its own rhythm which children experience through different activities, songs and stories for each season. The Steiner/Waldorf Kindergartens are especially well known for this.
Socialization and Social skills
The learning of social skills is often cited as a benefit of daycare. Especially children without siblings or regular playmates at home are believed to benefit from contact with other children. This is certainly true for children from three years onwards. However, during their first two years, children don’t usually play with other children - they rather play next to each other.
Professional Caregivers
Professional caregivers usually have extensive and wide-ranged experience with children. They may therefore be particularly skilful at dealing with difficult situations and angry, sad or unruly children and thus help promote children’s self-esteem and social skills. (However, the best expert for a child will always be the parents!)
Stimulating Environment
Good daycare institutions offer an environment that stimulates creative play, awakens curiosity and motivates movement. A variety of natural materials and toys will be good in that regard, but unfortunately, in many centers, plastic predominates.
Cognitive Development
On the whole, long hours in group child care are linked to better reading and math skills (but worse social skills and more behavioral problems). However, a closer look at the scientific evidence shows a more differentiated picture. Firstly, the positive effects on cognition were only found when care was begun in the toddler period (18-35 months) – more center care in infancy (0–17 months) was in fact associated with lower pre-academic test scores later on. Secondly, those positive effects were only short to medium term (they ceased soon after children entered school) – the negative effects on social behavior and work habits (such as lack of curiosity and endurance) and emotions (such as increased aggressiveness) remained. Thirdly, the positive effects mainly occurred for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds and were negligible for normal middle class children.
Child Safety
Children in daycare centers have far fewer fatal accidents than stay at home children - the death rate being only one sixteenth as high. This could mean that the children in daycare centers don’t get to explore very much – or that many homes don’t provide a safe and stimulating environment. In any case, professional caregivers have more time to watch the kids and are successfully doing so – while moms may be busy with household chores
Content Parents
Last but not least, getting a break from the often strenuous work of raising children may be beneficial to parents and allow them to satisfy their need for work/career and social contacts. Content, relaxed parents will in turn benefit the children. Studies found that half a day of daycare helps children of depressed moms not to be affected so much by their mother’s depression – and it certainly helps the mom, too.
Summary
Good childcare institutions may benefit children in various ways, for example by providing rhythm, social contacts and keeping children safe. The often cited positive effects on cognition are negligible. Along with the benefits, there also seem to be a number of disadvantages, especially for very young and highly sensitive children.
Sources and Related Reading
- Kids with depressed moms do better in day care. Article by Linda Carroll on msnbc.com.
- Effects of early child-care on cognition, language, and task-related behaviours at 18 months: An English study. A study by Sylva, Stein, Leach and others. Wiley Online Library.
- Expert Guidance on Child Care: What's Best by Age. Suite101-article by Martin Bohn.
- The Negative Effects of Daycare on Small Children. Suite101-article by Martin Bohn.
- The Disadvantages of Center Based Childcare. Suite101-article by Martin Bohn
Martin Bohn - As a certified yoga teacher, I enjoy freelancing for various yoga magazines in different countries. In my main profession, I work as a ...
