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MONDAY, July 21, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- The more hours a child spends in day care during the first four and a half years of his life, the more behavioral problems he will exhibit when he reaches kindergarten.
That's the conclusion of new research that appears in the July/August issue of Child Development.
But there's no reason for panic, say the study authors and other child-care experts familiar with the new research. The behavioral problems uncovered weren't outside the normal range. And, the experts say, sensitive parenting, coupled with finding a high-quality program, can temper the effects of long hours in day care.
The research is an update of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Early Child Care, launched in 1991. In the study, 27 investigators have been tracking more than 1,000 children at 10 sites from birth into their school years.
The researchers found a link between the average number of hours a week a child spent in day care during the first four and a half years of life, and how their mothers, child-care providers and kindergarten teachers rated their behavior when they entered school.
The greater the number of hours, the higher the scores for problem behaviors such as being assertive, disobedient and aggressive.
But there wasn't a threshold beyond which the researchers could say a specific number of hours was undesirable, emphasizes Sarah Friedman, the scientific coordinator of the study. In the sample, 16 percent of the children went to child care up to nine hours a week; 38 percent for 10 to 29 hours; 36 percent for 30 to 45 hours; and 10 percent, more than 45 hours weekly, says Friedman, on staff at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Overall, says Friedman, a minority of children -- 12 percent to 16 percent -- had behavior that fell into the "at-risk" range. By that, the researchers mean the behavior was still in the normal range, but at the upper levels of normal, putting them at risk of developing abnormal behavior.
"The prediction of problem behavior doesn't just come from hours in care," Friedman says. "It also comes from quality of care and the family environment." The sensitivity of the mother to the child's needs, for instance, plays a great role in whether the child will have behavior problems, she says.
Some of the problem behavior may be improved just by paying more attention to the child once he is home from day care. While working parents often have a lot to do when they get home, Friedman suggests involving the children in household tasks when they are old enough. Let the child help prepare food, fold the laundry and do other necessary tasks, she says, instead of parking them in front of the television.
Another report in the same issue seems to point to the need to be sensitive to the individual needs of children in day care, and to be aware that some children can feel threatened or fearful in such a setting. Megan Gunnar of the University of Minnesota and her research team found the hormone cortisol, released in response to stress, went up in some of 55 infants and toddlers during day care hours but decreased when they were at home. This finding duplicates results of earlier studies and underscores the need to find day care that fits the needs of each child.
The two studies in the journal are accompanied by nine commentaries from child development experts who hoped to shed light and perspective on the issue of day care and behavior.
"It's not panic time because millions of children are doing well in their various day-care settings," says Eleanor Maccoby, professor emerita of developmental psychology at Stanford University, who authored one of the commentaries.
"Parents just need to be vigilant, to make sure that the particular arrangement for their child is working well," she says. For instance, if your toddler is wary of other children and somewhat shy, Maccoby suggests finding a child in day care or elsewhere who isn't overly threatening and setting up play dates so your child can become accustomed to social interaction.
Also, keeping in touch with your day-care provider and asking about any difficulties can help nip behavior problems early, Maccoby says.
She adds that on a public policy level, what's needed are measures that will improve day-care quality. Friedman's research showed that better quality day care led to fewer behavior problems.
More information
For resources on child care, see the Child Care Bureau of the Administration for Children & Families. For details on finding quality child care, visit Child Care Aware.
