What is wrong with daycare
It's a debate that has raged since the dawn of the first
daycare centre decades ago, but as Dr Melanie Woodfield explains,
newly released research suggests daycare might actually be
detrimental for young babies.
Warning! The issues discussed in this article may
challenge or unsettle you. Daycare for children, particularly
babies, is a hotly debated topic. A multitude of factors dictate
whether a baby goes into care, who cares for baby, and how long
baby spends in care. Most parents agonise over where to send their
child, and have made very carefully thought out decisions. Despite
this, there are a number of misconceptions about what babies need.
This article aims to debunk the myths about baby daycare and
explore some of these topical issues in more detail. At heart, the
question, "Is daycare dangerous for our babies?" Read on - if you
dare…
Definitions
First, let's be clear on what we mean by "daycare". For our
purposes, daycare refers to any out-of-home care situation where
children are cared for in large groups, by adults who are not
family members or friends. We're not referring to Playcentre,
coffee groups, being cared for by family, or attending play groups.
It's also important to note that in this article, we're mainly
referring to infants and toddlers - the all-important
"under-threes". As we'll see, the needs of three-and four-year olds
are different to those of babies and toddlers. Most authors agree
that good quality daycare for older children can be a hugely useful
thing. The debate centres on very young babies.
Why now?
In June 2009, Dr Simon Rowley, an auckland Paediatrician and
supporter of the Brainwave Trust (www.brainwave.org.nz) brought
some powerful research findings to the attention of the New Zealand
public. These findings were not new, but have stirred up a wave of
feeling. In a nutshell, Dr Rowley advised parents to avoid
putting their babies into daycare, and instead have one parent stay
home with their children for at least two years. He advised that
putting babies in daycare could permanently damage their brains.
Quoted in the Sunday Star Times, Dr Rowley said, "When people ask
me, to be politically correct, I say: 'Well, if you choose your
daycare well, that's good.' But if you have a choice, you should
always go for staying home a bit longer."
In New Zealand, we encourage mums to
breastfeed, and to do so for as long as possible. The rationale
behind this is not simply nutrition - it's to foster the mutually
beneficial bond between mother and child. A healthy bond promotes
good emotional development, and more successful relationships later
in life. So why do we turn a blind eye to the numbers of young
babies enrolled in what can be very long hours of daycare? Surely
it's worth exploring the potential effect of this in both the
short- and long-term?
If you conduct your own research into
whether daycare is dangerous, be wary of biased reporting, as
authors may have their own agenda. An owner of a
daycare is not going to highlight negative daycare findings, and
it's unlikely the manager of a competing nanny service will
emphasise the good aspects of daycare centres. The following
studies have come from peer-reviewed journals, which are as
"independent" possible.
The data on daycare
Early research into the effects of daycare looked at the number of
times per day children appeared upset or distressed, comparing this
with how often children became upset at home. This was not a
particularly reliable way of assessing distress - some children
become distressed over very small incidents, while other children
almost never show distress. More recently, research methods have
started to look at the level of cortisol - a "stress hormone" in a
child's bloodstream. This is a more reliable measure of stress, and
is easily obtained by taking a tiny sample of the child's saliva at
different times throughout the day. There are many factors to
consider when weighing up if daycare is dangerous, but the major
criticism of daycare is that it "stresses" children, so it seems
appropriate to look at the cortisol element. The following is a
review of cortisol research, and formed the basis for Dr Rowley's
statements earlier this year, so let's take a closer
look…
In 2006, Harriet Vermeer and Marinus van
Ijzendoorn, from Leiden University in The Netherlands,
carried out a detailed review of all the published studies
they could find that had looked at cortisol levels in children
attending daycare. Their article is a summary and analysis of all
the findings, which included a total of approximately 300 children,
from nine different studies.
The main finding from the review was that
at daycare, children display higher cortisol levels than at home.
These studies were carried out in centres of "reasonable to high
quality". The effects were most pronounced for youngest children,
especially the under-three year olds.
These results are
concerning, particularly since we still don't know why
cortisol levels are higher in young children in daycare. Two
factors have been suggested - the stress of separation from
parents, and/or the stress of peer interaction. In contrast to the
popular wisdom that babies gain "social skills" from daycare,
researchers propose that very young children find peer interactions
stressful, especially without the calming influence of a parent
present.
We have to acknowledge that the increases
in cortisol levels were relatively small. The authors weren't able
to say defInitively what the effects of raised cortisol levels
might be. However, animal studies have shown that in the
short-term, raised cortisol levels may increase susceptibility to
illness. Longer term, chronic exposure to stress in early childhood
can be a risk factor for cognitive and emotional
difficulties.
Another series of studies have looked into
this possibility in more detail. The National Institute of Child
Health and Development (NICHD) studied over 1,000 children in the
United States, in studies which began in 1990 and followed children
for many years. The key fIndings, taken from the NICHD report, when
the children were four-and-a-half years old, were as follows:
"Children in higher quality, non-maternal
childcare had somewhat better language and cognitive development
during the first four-and-a-half years of life. They were also
somewhat more cooperative than those who experienced lower quality
care during the fIrst three years of life.
"Children with higher quantity (total
combined number of hours) of experience in non-maternal childcare
showed somewhat more behavioural problems in childcare and in
kindergarten classrooms than those who had experienced fewer
hours.
"Children who attended childcare centres
had somewhat better cognitive and language development, but also
showed somewhat more behavioural problems in childcare and in
kindergarten classrooms than children who experienced other
non-maternal child care arrangements."
These results have been repeated by two
signifIcant, large longitudinal studies in the United Kingdom, one
of which was from the University of London's Institute of
Education. Their fIndings, reported by Anne Manne in her stirring
and challenging book (see References) were "high levels of group
care before the age of three (and particularly before the age f
two) [are] associated with higher levels of antisocial behaviour at
age three". The other study, the Families, Children and
Childcare project from Oxford University, again found diffIculties
for under-two-year-old children who had experienced infant daycare,
in some cases for as little as 12 hours per week. One of the
directors of the project, Penelope Leach, was quoted by Anne Manne
as having said, "We know from research that staff in [daycare
centres] tend to be fIrstly, more detached - less sensitive and
responsive - towards the children, and there is more 'flatness
of affect', a subtle but important characteristic which means there
is no differentiation in response to a child, a sort of blandness.
Somewhere after two years, as the children begin to relate more to
each other than to the adult, then high-quality, group-based care
becomes an unequivocal benefit."
These days, a common attitude suggests
early and prolonged childcare is not just okay, but should be
encouraged. The results presented here challenge this attitude.
While children's experiences at daycare centres vary hugely, we
should be concerned about any very young child being in daycare for
long periods of time.
Yes, there are lots of factors to
consider. There is a complex interaction between a child's
temperament, how long they are in daycare, the age at which they
began childcare, the quality of the daycare, and the quality of the
child's home life. In other words, not all babies who attend
daycare will behave aggressively as preschoolers. However, let's
not dismiss these results, but take them on board and consider all
the childcare options available. It's worth the hard work of
looking at all options, to rest assured that your babies' needs are
being met.
Alternatives to daycare for babies
As an alternative to a daycare centre, an increasingly popular
option is that of in-home childcare. This option can, when
well-managed, address some of the concerns aimed at large group
childcare, for example:
* Babies will be one of up to four children (including the carer's
own child/ren). This can contribute to lowering babies' stress
levels.
* Babies having a significant relationship with only one,
consistent, adult.
* Having less noise in the environment.
* Having fewer children to interact with.
* Adhering to your child's individual sleep and feeding routines
more easily than in a large group setting.
Many parents fear that in-home care is
significantly more expensive than centre based care, but this is
not necessarily the case. Most in-home care providers charge $4 to
$8 per hour, depending on the agency, their level of experience,
their location, and facilities. In Auckland, a typical daily rate
for group care is between $50 and $80. When you look at the fine
print, however, there are some interesting differences. For
example, most day care centres charge a flat rate for the day, no
matter what time you drop off and pick up. So, if you're working
9am to 3pm, you pay the same as a child who is at the centre 7.30am
to 6pm. Of course if you work a very long day, this could work to
your advantage.
There are also some downsides of in-home
care. If your carer is sick, and your agency doesn't have a
"back-up" system, you may find yourself scrambling to find a
caregiver at short notice. Perhaps one of the major concerns for
many parents is the lack of accountability of the care-giver -
there aren't usually any other adults around to keep an eye on your
child's safety, as in a daycare centre. There's no easy answer to
this, except to take time to meet a number of different carers, to
meet each one several times, and to trust your intuition.
At the risk of being accused of standing
on a soap-box, I am concerned at the increasingly common attitude
that young babies need daycare. The idea that we, as parents, can't
meet a baby's needs at home; that we're doing them a disservice by
not sending them to daycare, at least part-time, to encourage their
"social skills". Most of us think of ourselves as flawed
individuals, and therefore flawed parents. However, let's not
let ourselves fall into the trap of thinking others will better
meet the needs of our babies. No matter what your perceived flaws,
a professional carer can not offer your baby all they need. They
miss the vital ingredient - love.
I understand that, for many parents, their
return to work is out of necessity, not choice. Where we do have a
choice, however, is the kind of care in which we place our
children. In this article, I hope you've had a chance to explore
some of the research into daycare for babies, and a taste of some
of the other child-care options available, in order that you can
make your own, informed, choices about where to place your child.
My advice for parents who must return to work is simple and
twofold:
1. If you can, have one parent stay home with baby
for as long as possible. Don't let your mind, and some sectors of
society, trick you into thinking that this is a poor choice. This
is the optimal choice for your baby. If you can't stay home,
consider making arrangements with a family member or friend.
2. If you must return to work, choose your daycare
very carefully; research all the options; start slowly, and
introduce your baby very slowly and carefully to their new carers.
Opt for the best-quality care you can afford, for the fewest hours
per day, and aim for consistent, caring caregivers. Fewer
caregivers, and fewer children, is generally better.
Further reading:
If you have decided to choose the daycare option, it may be worth a
look at the Brainwave Trust's guide to choosing quality day care,
available from http://brainwave.org.nz.
The Ministry of Education's Education Review Office (ERO) carries
out regular evaluations of all early childhood centres. Visit
www.ero.govt.nz and use the search function to check out local
daycare centres.
Dr Melanie Woodfeld is a child and adolescent clinical
psychologist. She lives in Auckland with her terrifc tot, a
whirlwind of a cat, and a honey of a husband.
References
* Manne, A. Motherhood: How should we care for our children?
Australia: Allen and Unwin, 2008
* United States Department of Health and Human Services, National
Institutes of Health. "NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth
Development: Findings for Children Aged up to 4 ½ Years."
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/seccyd_051206.pdf
* Vermeer, H. J. and van IJzendoorn, M. H. "Children's elevated
cortisol levels at daycare: A review and meta-analysis." Early
Childhood Research Quarterly 21: 390-401.
As seen in OHbaby!
magazine Issue 8: 2010
Subscribe to OHbaby!
magazine
Purchase Issue 8
3 comments for “What is wrong with daycare”