Developmental Effects of a Child in Day Care
The effect that day care has on a young child is a commonly debated topic within developmental psychology. The concerns stem from the fact that leaving children out of parental care during key stages of development and attachment could have a negative effect on the child's emotional, social or cognitive development. Many studies have been done into this area, and finding out what the general findings were can help you decide whether you wish to send your child to day care.
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Emotional Development
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A commonly used test, called the Ainsworth Strange Situation, can assess the effects of day care on emotional development. The infant is placed in a room with his mother and a stranger, and the mother leaves for a short time. The child's reaction to the mother's departure and then her return is monitored to determine whether day care affects the bond children have with their mothers. A study by Byron Egeland and Marnie Hiester published in Child Development in 1995 used this method, and found that insecurely attached infants can actually benefit from day care, but securely attached children displayed more negative effects. Another study published in Child Development by researchers from the University of North Carolina was a variation on the test whereby the stranger was replaced by the child's day care teacher to determine whether the child forms a stronger bond with the day care teacher. They found that children still were more securely attached to their mothers, but were not too distressed when left in the room with their day care teacher.
Social Development
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A longitudinal study done by Tiffany Field for Child Development showed that the amount of time spent in day care had a positive correlation to the number of friends a child had in grade school and the amount of extracurricular activities the child was involved in. Studies by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development showed that children who spend long hours in day care (such as regular full days) can experience more stress than children who spend shorter or no time in day care and have a 17 percent increased chance of becoming overly aggressive. This study suggests that day care can have negative effects. However, Robin Goodman, clinical associate professor at NYU School of Medicine, points out that children can develop problems, but the findings are not significant enough to conclusively link these problems to day care.
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Cognitive Development
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Gina Lalli looked at research into the cognitive effects of day care on children and found that although the studies produce contradictory findings, it can be generally said that high-quality day care can have positive effects on the language, mathematical abilities and cognitive skills of children. However, a study published in Child Development by Ellen Piesner-Feinberg and other researchers of the Child Development Institute found that these benefits seem to decline over time, and rarely continue past second grade.
Conclusion
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In Lalli's conclusion to her study, she states that the evidence cannot be thought to show that day care has disruptive effects on the development of children, and if anything, it shows that day care can cause positive outcomes. Day care provides an area for social "practice," and high-quality day care can increase cognitive skills. The research has shown, however, that any effects do not continue into later life.
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References
- University of New Hampshire: "The Effects of Day Care on Children's Emotional, Cognitive and Social Development" Gina Lalli; 2006 (Pages 3-8 and 10)
- CBS: The Negative Effects Of Childcare?
- Child Psych: Is Daycare Good for my Child? Daycare Effects on School Performance
- JSTOR: Child Development, Vol 48, No. 3
- FPG People: Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, PhD
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
