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Child care arrangement and preschool development
1Population Health Sciences, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.
Insights
Child care arrangements impact development, with center-based care showing benefits. However, this benefit is negated for children of depressed mothers, highlighting the importance of the home environment.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Care Research
- Sociology of the Family
Background:
- Child care arrangements are a significant factor in early childhood development.
- Understanding the nuances of different care settings and their impact is crucial.
- Socioeconomic and familial factors can influence developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between various child care arrangements and poor developmental attainment (PDA) in young children.
- To explore the moderating role of maternal depression on the relationship between child care type and developmental outcomes.
- To identify key factors within the home environment that interact with child care settings.
Main Methods:
- Utilized baseline data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth.
- Analyzed data from 521,800 children aged 2-3 years, assessing developmental attainment via motor and social scores.
- Controlled for socioeconomic status, biological factors, maternal immigration, family dysfunction, parenting style, and neighborhood safety.
Main Results:
- Center-based child care was generally associated with better developmental outcomes (OR = 0.41).
- Family dysfunction, hostile parenting, and low neighborhood safety correlated with PDA.
- Maternal depression interacted with child care type; center care increased PDA odds for children of depressed mothers.
Conclusions:
- Child care arrangements' impact on development is complex and influenced by the home environment.
- Positive parent-child interactions appear protective against poor developmental attainment.
- Further research is needed to understand these intricate interactions for targeted interventions.
Abstract:
Baseline data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth were used to evaluate the associations between child care arrangement and poor developmental attainment (PDA). A weighted total of 521,800 children aged 2 to 3 years were studied (N = 2,709). PDA was assessed by age-standardized motor and social development score. Children were grouped by the predominant type of arrangement: care by someone in the child's own home, in another home (family child care), at a child care centre, or none (child care exclusive to parents). Controlling for socioeconomic status, biological factors and maternal immigration, family dysfunction, hostile parenting and low neighbourhood safety were correlated with PDA and positive parent-child interaction decreased the odds of PDA. Whereas centre child care arrangements were beneficial to development overall (OR = 0.41, 99% CI = 0.18, 0.93), an interaction existed between type of child care and maternal depression; among children with depressed mothers, centre child care was associated with increased odds of PDA. Findings suggest that the associations between child care arrangement and child development involve interactions of factors that influence a child's home environment. Future child development studies exploring these interactions are warranted.