Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care?

Authors: Belsky, Jay¹; Vandell, Deborah Lowe²; Burchinal, Margaret³; Clarke-Stewart, K. Alison²; McCartney, Kathleen⁴; Owen, Margaret Tresch⁵

Source: Child Development, Volume 78, Number 2, March/April 2007 , pp. 681-701(21)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Abstract:

Effects of early child care on children's functioning from 4½ years through the end of 6th grade (M age=12.0 years) were examined in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n=1,364). The results indicated that although parenting was a stronger and more consistent predictor of children's development than early child-care experience, higher quality care predicted higher vocabulary scores and more exposure to center care predicted more teacher-reported externalizing problems. Discussion focuses on mechanisms responsible for these effects, the potential collective consequences of small child-care effects, and the importance of the ongoing follow-up at age 15.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01021.x

Affiliations: 1: Birkbeck University of London 2: University of California, Irvine 3: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 4: Harvard University 5: The University of Texas, Dallas

Publication date: 2007-03-01