Impact of long term, early extensive childcare

[mikidora]

ifstudies.org/blog/measuring-the-long-term-effects-of-early-extensive-day-care

Canadian study - Quebec offered free full-working-day child care for ALL under 5s back in 1997 - 2 decades on the results are quite clear - those children that were put into long-hours care from their early months for most of the week “revealed significant increases in anxiety, hyperactivity and aggression” compared to those that weren’t. Crucially - this long term study shows that these adverse effects persist into adolescence and beyond.

Basically - IF, as a parent(s)/prospective parent(s) you have a choice - cut down work- do a day each separately at home, get relatives in to help if you can and minimise the time your 0-3 yr old spends in ALL DAY 9-5+ childcare.

I know there will be a flurry of “my child is fine...” responses but the point of this study is that they have a large sample size. Much more objective than one parent’s view. This is an overall trend when looking at thousands of children over many years.

I understand many truly don’t have a choice (single parents might well often fall into this category) and must use this kind of extensive child care but if you do have a choice - this makes for sobering reading.

Did you mean to put this into parties/celebrations?

What is your aim in sharing this? Those that can avoid it and will, are already doing your suggesting. Those that can do it but won't won't give a fig. Those that already feel bad enough for not being able to cut down on childcare, well, you just made their shitty day shittier by adding to their guilt.

Do you feel superior now?

The study also reports persistent positive effects for children who were in a good quality childcare environment, and does point out that a majority of providers (60%) were not rated good in Quebec across the time period assessed.
My take away from reading the article is that good quality childcare is not detrimental to a child and therefore the provision of quality childcare is what we should all be pushing/fighting for (help stop outstanding nurseries closing because of funding etc) and we should not be knocking anybody for their choice to use childcare.

Theres no options for some people though. They don't have family to help or they don't have enough family income to not work. So is their only option not to have children?

I am not goading at all here I'm genuinely curious.

I actually kind of agree with the article. I have a family member who's kids are in breakfast club at 8 and in after school till 6 every day. I can't condone that. I feel for the kids.

The study also reports persistent positive effects for children who were in a good quality childcare environment, and does point out that a majority of providers (60%) were not rated good in Quebec across the time period assessed.

I feel this bears repeating. Good quality childcare is good for children, poor quality is not. Does this surprise anyone?

Depends on the quality of childcare

I came on here to write exactly what Dean said.

Good quality childcare is actually hugely beneficial......sorry of that knocks you off your superior high horse.

You’ve posted this twice in different sections. Are you affiliated with the organisation OP?

As it stands in this country, if you’re not well-off you may not have a choice.

Yes but evidence like this is important to help keep legislation to keep childcare good rather than cheap. Not very long ago the government tried to change the ratios for 0-3 to make childcare cheaper for parents and its using studies like this that meant they stayed the same - or you'd find poorer families using the poor quality childcare and wealthier ones paying for much better ratios. I yhink they suggested it shoukd be 1:8 rather than 1:3 and keep the wualification level the same (pretty low compared to other countries) Tight legislation keeps things even.

Ask any smart 11 year old about carrying out a scientific investigation and they will tell you that you can only change 1 variable, all other possible variables must stay the same. Otherwise the results are invalid.
In this case not even 1 variable stays the same.
Different children
Different childcare settings
Different parents
Different edCational ideas over the period looked at
Different socio economic factors between children
Different ideologies of how to parent
Etc etc etc.
This study says what the person carrying it out wanted to say from the beginning.
It is pure speculation and opinion and has almost no scientific evidence to support it.

Back in the 90s, there was similar resea ch done in Belgium, which showedd the same effect.

But the rhetoric that the Northern Europeans put on it was 'children who do not go into groups are passive and timid in comparison to the majority'