Fuel to the Childcare Debate
You could almost hear a collective groan among U.S. working parents last week. That's when the media began reporting about new research showing that the more hours that toddlers spend in child care, the more likely they are to have behavioral problems by the time they're in kindergarten.
The research on over 1,300 children in ten U.S. cities, financed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, found that 17% of children who had spent over 30 hours a week in child care showed problem behaviors by the time they were between the ages of four and a half and six. By comparison, just 6% of toddlers who had spent less than ten hours a week in such care had the same problems. "There is a constant dose-response relationship between time in care and problem behavior, especially those involving aggression and behavior," claims Jay Belsky of Birkbeck College in London, an outspoken and somewhat controversial investigator in the long-running, comprehensive study.
But there are at least two important caveats associated with the research. First, the aggressive behaviors displayed by children in the study were "typical of what you'd expect from a normal four-year-old," says Margaret Burchinal, a University of North Carolina researcher who worked on the statistical side of the study. "We're not seeing that child care produces super-aggressive kids." These problems may well disappear later in life, say the researchers, or even turn into positive behaviors. "These could be children who could end up . . . showing leadership attributes. You know, being more outgoing and the like. We just don't know," says Bob Pianta, one of the principal investigators.
The second major caveat is that the study shows only correlation, not causation. That is, no one knows whether child care itself is causing kids to be more aggressive. There could be other factors at work. For example, people who have their children in child care for longer hours may be having a harder time balancing work and family obligations, and this may be creating family stress that affects children. "Things that happen in families are far more important to a child's experience than child care," states Pianta.
Another important finding of the study is that children who spent more time in childcare centers – though not other types of childcare arrangements – were more likely to demonstrate superior language skills and improved short-term memory. If these advantages continue into later years, they should help children do better in school.
What are the implications of this research for employers? It's unlikely that a single study, no matter what it finds, will have a major impact in the workplace. But the study may well add fuel to the debate about how parents should balance work/family duties. At the very least, it may increase the guilt that some working parents feel, especially working mothers. "As a society, we've socialized women into feeling guilty. Child care is essentially viewed as a family responsibility, and essentially a mother's responsibility," claims Barbara Willer, the deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, quoted in the Washington Post.
If they can afford to, some parents might cut back on work hours based on this sort of research, although Pianta states that "we are not suggesting that children be pulled out of child care and forget the income that comes from the mother or father working." Other working parents may push harder for flexible work hours. Aside from employees, various interest groups may pressure employers as well as the government to help more with child care. Researcher Jay Belsky bluntly recommends, "Extend parental leave and part-time work." Other experts believe the study underscores the need for policy changes such as higher salaries and better training for childcare workers and mandatory paid parental leave.
====================================================
For reporting on the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study, please see the following articles:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34829-2001Apr18.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/abc/20010419/hl/daycare010419_1.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010419/us/child_care_dilemma_2.html
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/04/20/day_care/index.html
For an essay on the guilt that parents sometimes feel over the issue of child care, see
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44268-2001Apr20.html
For a piece on outspoken and controversial researcher Jay Belsky, see
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/04/26/belsky/index.html
A Time.com article, "What Kids (Really) Need," can be found at
http://www.time.com/time/education/article/0,8599,107266,00.html
The research on over 1,300 children in ten U.S. cities, financed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, found that 17% of children who had spent over 30 hours a week in child care showed problem behaviors by the time they were between the ages of four and a half and six. By comparison, just 6% of toddlers who had spent less than ten hours a week in such care had the same problems. "There is a constant dose-response relationship between time in care and problem behavior, especially those involving aggression and behavior," claims Jay Belsky of Birkbeck College in London, an outspoken and somewhat controversial investigator in the long-running, comprehensive study.
But there are at least two important caveats associated with the research. First, the aggressive behaviors displayed by children in the study were "typical of what you'd expect from a normal four-year-old," says Margaret Burchinal, a University of North Carolina researcher who worked on the statistical side of the study. "We're not seeing that child care produces super-aggressive kids." These problems may well disappear later in life, say the researchers, or even turn into positive behaviors. "These could be children who could end up . . . showing leadership attributes. You know, being more outgoing and the like. We just don't know," says Bob Pianta, one of the principal investigators.
The second major caveat is that the study shows only correlation, not causation. That is, no one knows whether child care itself is causing kids to be more aggressive. There could be other factors at work. For example, people who have their children in child care for longer hours may be having a harder time balancing work and family obligations, and this may be creating family stress that affects children. "Things that happen in families are far more important to a child's experience than child care," states Pianta.
Another important finding of the study is that children who spent more time in childcare centers – though not other types of childcare arrangements – were more likely to demonstrate superior language skills and improved short-term memory. If these advantages continue into later years, they should help children do better in school.
What are the implications of this research for employers? It's unlikely that a single study, no matter what it finds, will have a major impact in the workplace. But the study may well add fuel to the debate about how parents should balance work/family duties. At the very least, it may increase the guilt that some working parents feel, especially working mothers. "As a society, we've socialized women into feeling guilty. Child care is essentially viewed as a family responsibility, and essentially a mother's responsibility," claims Barbara Willer, the deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, quoted in the Washington Post.
If they can afford to, some parents might cut back on work hours based on this sort of research, although Pianta states that "we are not suggesting that children be pulled out of child care and forget the income that comes from the mother or father working." Other working parents may push harder for flexible work hours. Aside from employees, various interest groups may pressure employers as well as the government to help more with child care. Researcher Jay Belsky bluntly recommends, "Extend parental leave and part-time work." Other experts believe the study underscores the need for policy changes such as higher salaries and better training for childcare workers and mandatory paid parental leave.
====================================================
For reporting on the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study, please see the following articles:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34829-2001Apr18.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/abc/20010419/hl/daycare010419_1.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010419/us/child_care_dilemma_2.html
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/04/20/day_care/index.html
For an essay on the guilt that parents sometimes feel over the issue of child care, see
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44268-2001Apr20.html
For a piece on outspoken and controversial researcher Jay Belsky, see
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/04/26/belsky/index.html
A Time.com article, "What Kids (Really) Need," can be found at
http://www.time.com/time/education/article/0,8599,107266,00.html