What We Know About Childcare

Childcare is as necessary for most families as an automobile and a microwave oven, but infinitely harder to find and more expensive to buy. And there is no Consumer Reports rating to refer to in assessing the quality of that care.--from page 172 Children in childcare centers do better intellectually than children who remain at home. Children in childcare centers did better on tests of verbal fluency, memory, and comprehension . . . and they were able to identify other peoples' feelings and points of view earlier.--from page 87 Some studies also show that children in childcare tend to be less polite, less agreeable, less compliant with their mothers' or caregivers' demands and requests, less respectful of others' rights . . . How can we integrate these negative differences with the differences in positive social behavior? Are children in childcare . . . socially skilled but bossy, friendly but aggressive, outgoing but rude? It has been suggested--not totally facetiously--that this profile sounds a lot like a successful CEO. It turns out, however, that it is not the same children who are friendly and bossy . . . It seems likely that childcare promotes social advancement in some children and leads to behavior problems in others.--from page 90 There is no proof that being in care in infancy leads to behavior problems down the road . . . There is no compelling evidence that beginning care in infancy has detrimental effects on children's relationships with their mothers.--from page 99 Although boys in childcare do indeed become more sociable than boys at home--and although girls in childcare do increase in autonomy, problem solving, and even belligerence--childcare does not wipe outthe differences between the sexes . . . Are there other differences in the effects of childcare on boys and girls? It has frequently been documented that boys are more vulnerable to events in the environment, girls more resilient . . . Are boys worse off than girls when in