Perspectives on recent studies linking amount of time spent in child care to behaviour

In its July/August 2003 issue, the Society for Research in Child Development's journal Child Development published two articles that link "behaviour problems" to child care attendance, the first a new analysis of data from the longitudinal study by the National Institute for Child Health and Child Development (U.S.) and the second a brain chemistry study. Nine other articles in the same issue comment on the research and present other pertinent research.

The publication of the studies garnered media attention in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. This ISSUE file includes information about where to access the articles, some of the media comment and further comments from experts about the research and findings. The overview article by the journal's editors ("Child care research: An editorial perspective") is particularly useful.

The list of resources is organized into five sections: the two lead articles and the other articles in the July/August 2003 issue of Child Development; selected media coverage; comments by researchers; other pertinent documents; and useful websites. Use the links on the right to access these sections.

JULY/AUGUST 2003 ISSUE OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

The articles are not available online. Child Development is a major scholarly journal and is available through most academic libraries as well as at CRRU (contact CRRU for more information).

Or to purchase a copy of the July/August 2003 issue, please visit the Blackwell Publishing web site, or call the Blackwell Publishing Customer Service Center at 800.835.6770.

Lead articles

• "Does amount of time in child care predict socioemotional adjustment?"
  by NICHD Early Child Care Research Network
• "Morning to afternoon increases in cortisol concentrations for infants and toddlers at child care: Age differences and behavioural correlates"
  by Sarah E. Watamura, Bonny Donzella, Jan Alwin, and Megan R. Gunnar

Commentaries

• "Child care research: An editorial perspective"
  by Judith H. Langlois and Lynn S. Liben
• "Child care quality matters: How conclusions may vary with context"
  by John M. Love, Linda Harrison, Avi Sagi, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, Christine Ross, Judy Ungerer, Helen Raikes, Christy Brady-Smith, Kimberly Boller, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Jill Constantine, Ellen Eliason Kisker, Diane Paulsell, and Rachel Chazan-Cohen
• "Rescuing baby from the bathwater: How gender and temperament (may) influence how child care affects child development"
  by Susan C. Crockenberg
• "Children at play: The role of peers in understanding the effects of child care"
  by Richard A. Fabes, Laura D. Hanish, and Carol Lynn Martin
• "Shared care: Establishing a balance between home and child care settings"
  by Lieselotte Ahnert and Michael E. Lamb
• "Some controls control too much"
  by Nora Newcombe
• "Children, stress and context: Integrating basic, clinical and experimental prevention research"
  by Laurie Miller Brotman, Kathleen Kiely Gouley, Rachel G. Klein, F. Xavier Castellanos, and Daniel S. Pine
• "Integrating biological, behavioral, and social levels of analysis in early child development research: Progress, problems, and prospects"
  by Douglas A. Granger and Katie T. Kivlighan
• "Child care research: A clinical perspective"
  by Stanley I. Greenspan
• "Less daycare or better daycare?"
  by Eleanor E. Maccoby and Catherine C. Lewis

WHAT THE MEDIA SAID

Two studies link child care to behavior problems
by Susan Gilbert
SOURCE New York Times, July 16, 2003
Abstract and access to full article available on NY Times' site - users must register.
Abstract:
Researchers report that the more time children spend in child care, the more likely they are to be disobedient and have trouble getting along with others; another study finds that in children younger than 3, levels of cortisol, hormone associated with stress, rise in afternoon during full days they spend in day care, but falls as hours pass on days spent at home; both studies, first undertaken by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and second by Institute of Child Development of University of Minnesota, build on evidence that those children who spend long hours in child care may experience more stress and are at increased risk of becoming overly aggressive and developing other behavioral problems; appear in journal Child Development along with nine commentaries that put findings into perspective and, in some cases, rebut them.

The latest information on the daycare nation
SOURCE The Globe and Mail, July 19, 2003.
Newspaper article in html.

What lies behind day care stress: No easy answer for parents worried by studies - Some experts back findings, others more hopeful
by Susan Gilbert
SOURCE Toronto Star (reprinted), July 25, 2003.
Newspaper article.

COMMENTS BY RESEARCHERS

Child care and behavior: Findings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Child Care and Youth Development
Interview with Kathleen McCartney, Principal Investigator of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Study of Child Care and Youth Development)
SOURCE HGSE News, Harvard Graduate School of Education, July 16, 2003.
Print article in html, Audio interview - see download option on right.

Leading authority disputes child care statements
by Steve Barnett of the National Institute for Early Education Research
SOURCE U.S. Newswire, July 16, 2003.
Full article in html.

OTHER PERTINENT DOCUMENTS

Fact and fantasy: Eight myths about early childhood education and care
by Gordon Cleveland and Michael Krashinsky
SOURCE Childcare Resource and Research Unit, 2003
Full paper and accompanying BRIEFing NOTE in pdf.

From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development
by The National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, (Jack Shonkoff and Deborah Phillips, eds.), 2000
Comprehensive review of early child development research
Complete book from the National Academy Press is available page-by-page online; Summary article from Zero to Three in pdf.

USEFUL WEBSITES

The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
Website for the longitudinal study.

The effects of quality child care on young children
SOURCE National Child Care Information Center (U.S.)
Contains many valuable links to reports examining the relationship between child care and child development.

You bet quality matters! Child care quality and children's development (ISSUE file)
SOURCE Childcare Resource and Research Unit.