Effects of Daycare Potential effects of daycare on: Social development Cognitive development Research studies relevant to this area
Daycare Defined as being: Regular temporary separation Outside the home environment Not with family member Can still mean several things e.g. Nursery Childminder Playgroup
Daycare 850,000 full-time daycare places in the UK 60% of UK mothers with a child under 5 now working full time Government commitment to universally available daycare
Effects of daycare Social development The child’s ability to form relationships with others and to interact with others Cognitive development The development of the child’s intellect and skills
Daycare & social development Bowlby’s view: Repeated separation leads to insecure attachment This has consequences for later development “…permanent damage to the emotional health of a future generation.”
Daycare & social development Penelope Leach Nursery staff are not emotionally responsive enough to younger (<18mo) children – could affect quality of attachment After about 2 years relationships with other children become more important – lots of benefits Quality of care is paramount
Daycare & social development Jay Belsky Daycare leads to poorer social development – higher aggression Leads to insecure attachment due to insensitive mothering Main risk >10hrs/week in first year of life but all childcare in the early years is detrimental to social (not cognitive) development
Daycare & social development Ted Melhuish There are some risks associated with daycare under 2 years – slightly higher aggression, disobedience Only appear at >25hrs daycare, more obvious at >40hrs Possibly avoidable with right sort or carers – but these are expensive
Mediating factors Daycare effects likely to be mediated by: Age of child Frequency & duration of daycare Child to carer ratio Carer skills and attitudes Care staff turnover