A long period of time in early childhood child care does not cause behavior problems, according to the study

A long period of time in early childhood child care does not cause behavior problems, according to the study

Previous research suggests that long periods of time in early childhood day care correlate with high levels of behavioral problems in young children. However, the validity of this work has been controversial and its relevance outside the United States has been questioned.

New research used longitudinal databases from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada and the United States to better understand whether time in early childhood care is harming children. The study was published in Child Development by researchers from Boston College, the University of Oslo, the University of Minnesota, the German Youth Institute, the German Institute for International Pedagogical Research, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Utrecht, the University of Montreal, the University of Bordeaux and the Norwegian Center for Behavioral Development.

“This is the first study on this topic that brings together analyzes of data from multiple countries with different sociopolitical contexts and allows us to address concerns about generalizability and reproducibility in the literature,” explains lead author Catalina Rey-Guerra, co-director of Fundación Apapacho and fellow of the Institute of Early Childhood Policy at Boston College. "Testing and research found almost no evidence that prolonged time in early childhood care settings causes behavioral problems in young children. The results are reassuring for parents whose children spend time in early childhood care settings while they work."

Using data collected from 1993 to 2012, researchers examined whether within-child changes in center-based care predicted changes in externalizing problems such as arguing, biting or fighting in 10,105 toddlers and preschool children (49% female). Data were analyzed across seven studies, including Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, two from Canada and two from the United States. Countries differ in their respective social policies for family leave and the public provision and regulation of early childhood care and education (e.g. enrollment in institutional care and maternity leave vary from country to country). Race/ethnicity data were collected only in the United States (57% and 80% White; 42% and 13% African American; 1.2% and 5% Latinx).

Where available, information from teachers' reports of external problems was used, otherwise parent reports were used. Reports from teachers and/or parents varied across countries and included assessments of behaviors such as "hits, bites, kicks other children" and "fights more", "fights or bullies other children" and "can be spiteful towards others", "restless and cannot sit still" and "the child fights a lot." In most studies, the amount of care was measured by the number of hours per week that children spent in center-based care, excluding other forms of care (such as home care from a parent, group care from a relative, or a non-relative) reported by the primary caregiver (most often mothers) at each time point.

Across a variety of statistical tests and seven data sets from five countries, researchers found almost no evidence that long periods of time in early childhood care cause behavioral problems in young children. Furthermore, despite significant socioeconomic differences in each of the seven samples, the studies showed no evidence that the association between residential care and externalizing problems varied as a function of family income or parental education.

The authors acknowledge several limitations in their research. The research only examined short-term effects, so they are unable to examine whether longer-term harm might arise from center-based care. Furthermore, the samples in the current study were not nationally representative, although they represented diverse populations across the distribution of socioeconomic status.

Further research is needed to examine whether these results can be generalized to children living in sociopolitical contexts that differ from those in high-income countries. Researchers were unable to examine what would have happened if the children in the studies had not entered center-based care and children from disadvantaged backgrounds (i.e., unemployed parents, low-income households, and single-parent households) had been overrepresented among those who never entered center-based care. Therefore, an additional level of caution is warranted when generalizing the results of the current study to these children.

Understanding whether time in early childhood care harms children and how pervasive such harm can be is critical to guiding global social and economic policy. Healthy economies depend on parents of young children participating in the workforce in ways that ensure healthy development for their children and the future economy. “In view of this, continued research into practices and policies that ensure that early childhood care promotes the well-being of children and families should remain an international priority.”

Catalina Rey-Guerra, lead author and co-director of the study, Fundación Apapacho

Source:

Society for Research in Child Development

Reference:

Rey-Guerra, C., et al. (2022) Do more hours in residential care cause more externalizing problems? A cross-national replication study. development of the child. doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13871.

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