It is never an easy decision to leave your infant in the care of someone else. While the effects of daycare on a child's development continues to be a debated issue, for working parents there often is no alternative. However, findings of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Early Child Care indicate that children who spend long hours in daycare usually have better math and reading skills when they attend school, although their social skills may be inadequate.
Maternal Attachment
Parents often worry, when placing babies in daycare, about the impact it will have on maternal attachment, which typically represents comfort, safety and security to an infant. The Ainsworth Strange Situation is one method used to assess the emotional bond infants have with their mothers. This study observes the behavior of an infant who is placed in a room with her mother and then a stranger enters. Children who have strong attachments to their mothers generally become distressed when their mothers leave the room for a few seconds. These children are more likely to become more stressed when left with other childcare providers. Then again, infants who have poor attachments to their mothers tend to become less stressed at the absence of their mothers and may even thrive in a daycare environment. While children who are strongly attached to their mothers can learn to like and trust another childcare provider, they are still quite happy when mommy returns.
Social Development
Research shows that the social development of most elementary school age children who spent a lot of time in daycare as infants and preschoolers appears to be normal. Although some children who were in daycare can be a bit more aggressive in their behavior than their peers, the overall social development for most of these children seems to be similar to that of children who did not spend time in daycare. Results of the study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that while most children do not suffer more stress while in daycare, some children who spend many hours in daycare each day are at increased risk of becoming too aggressive. This may sometimes lead to behavioral problems once they go to school. However, Robin F. Goodman, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at NYU School of Medicine, says that a number of other factors that can contribute to a child's behavior, so it is unfair to blame daycare alone for any negative behavior.
Cognitive Development
Children who spent significant time in daycare when they were young frequently have better verbal, reading and math skills throughout the elementary school years. In general, children from disadvantaged families appear to excel more in academic development if they spend time in daycare during infancy and the early childhood years. This may be due to the fact that the daycare setting may offer more opportunities for them to improve their skills. Some children may also receive more encouragement in daycare than at home. Follow-up research by the National Institutes of Health published in Child Development suggest that children frequently benefit from daycare in terms of cognitive development. The study shows that children who spent time in daycare in early childhood continue to score higher on academic achievement even into the high school years.
