An opening statement
In the last few decades, mother of young children has seen a rise in child care use, both at home and in child care centres. The majority of preschool-aged children receive child care before they enter school. Preschool children have higher rates than toddlers and infants. According to recent estimates, nearly two-thirds (or more) of American 3- to 5-year-olds attend child care before entering kindergarten. Professionals and parents have been trying to figure out the effects of this on children’s social and cognitive development.
Topic
Children’s outcomes are affected by their environment.2 This includes both the home and the child care setting. Research on the impact of child care environments on children’s development is gaining momentum. The US’s average child care quality is lower than the recommendations of early childhood professionals.3-6 This leads to questions about how this environment affects children’s development. A number of studies have been done to examine the impact of child care environments on children’s social and cognitive skills. Evaluation of the quality child care has taken into account a wide range of factors.
Issues
There is one problem with studying the impact of child-care quality on families. Different families choose what type of child care they choose. Studies show that child care quality is a factor in children’s development. Even though statistical adjustment has been made to account for these family selections in recent studies, it is possible that they underestimate the effects of quality child care when they are closely correlated.
The second problem is that longitudinal studies are required. These studies must include representative samples and child care centers of sufficient size. This will allow us to evaluate the long-term impact of child care on children’s development. There are a few studies, including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study, but these studies are difficult to find because of the cost and complexity of the research.
Research context
Two types of research provide evidence on the effects preschool child care has on children’s developmental abilities. They are typical community child services and early intervention programs that target children at most risk. While there have been many studies that have looked at the long-term effects of early intervention programs on children, very few have focused on the impact of child care in the community as they transition from preschool to elementary school. Numerous studies of early intervention programs found that children have long-term cognitive and academic achievements. These effects last up to the fourth or fifth grade and then into adulthood.
Another area of research is the impact of typical community child-care programs used by families. These programs can vary in their quality. In particular, extensive research has been done over the past 20 years to examine the impact of quality preschool child care on children’s cognitive and social development.
Studies have used child care programs from the communities that were sampled in research, instead of the models demonstrated in early intervention studies. Studies that examined the effects of child-care quality on child outcomes and selection have provided the strongest evidence.
Research Key Questions
This area has many major research questions:
– Does the quality of pre-school child care affect children’s social and cognitive development?
– How long is the influence of quality child care evident?
– Do different child care providers have different developmental outcomes?
The latest findings from studies have been revealed.
To examine the effects that child care quality has on children’s development in the short and long term, in both the preschool and elementary years, studies have been carried out in the USA and in other countries such as Canada, Bermuda, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Below are studies that examine the effects of child-care quality after taking into account family selection factors. These studies aim to unravel the relationships between child care and quality.
Although longitudinal studies are rare, there have been many studies that show positive associations between quality child care and cognitive development and social competence in preschool children.
Some longitudinal studies have examined this issue for preschool-age child-care, looking at the long-term impacts of child-care quality on social and cognitive development. Some studies found positive associations between preschool care quality and children’s school-age cognitive skills.
Many studies have found that child-care quality influences children’s outcomes. However some studies did not find any effects on social or cognitive development.
The other issue that is of interest is the effect of child care on children who are at higher risk for poor development is whether these effects are greater in certain groups. This question is not being addressed in many studies. These findings are mixed. There is some evidence that children at higher risk in preschool, 35-37, and school years have stronger effects,28 but these differences did not appear to be consistent across all outcomes. However, studies in this area have not shown any differences in the quality of child-care for children at greater danger.21,23
In conclusion,
Research has shown that children who have received high quality care are more likely to develop their cognitive and social skills. These effects of childcare quality range from moderately modest to moderate. They are also found after adjusting for family selections factors that influence both quality and outcomes. Studies have repeatedly shown short-term effects on children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development in preschool. Although longitudinal studies are less common, it has been shown that there have been longer-lasting effects on children’s cognitive, social and emotional development through elementary school. These results also indicate that children of all backgrounds are affected by quality child care.
Studies have shown that children from less privileged backgrounds may experience stronger effects than children from higher-income backgrounds. These findings suggest that children from more wealthy backgrounds can be influenced by quality of care.
Consequences
These findings, taken together, suggest that policies that promote quality preschool care are crucial for all children. Research suggests that high-quality childcare is not cheap to provide. All these factors will be considered in order to ensure that all children have access to high-quality care. This investment is important to make in order to improve children’s school readiness and success.
