Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 The Consequences of Child Care Outside the Home.
Research on the importance 
of social interaction is corroborated by work that examines the benefi ts of child care 
out of the home, which is an important part of an increasing number of children’s 
lives. For instance, almost 30% of preschool children whose mothers work outside 
the home spend their days in child-care centers. By the age of 6 months, almost 
two-thirds of infants are cared for by people other than their mothers for part of the 
day. Most of these infants begin child care before the age of 4 months and are cared 
for by people other than their mothers almost 30 hours per week (NICHD Early 
Child Care Research Network, 2006; National Research Council, 2001; see Figure 7). 
Do child-care arrangements outside the home benefi t children’s development? If 
the programs are of high quality, they can. According to the results of a large study 
supported by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Development, children 
who attend high-quality child-care centers may not only do as well as children who 
stay at home with their parents, but in some respects they may actually do better. 
Children in child care are generally more considerate and sociable than other children 
are, and they interact more positively with teachers. They may also be more compliant 
and regulate their own behavior more effectively. And their mothers show increased 
sensitivity to their children (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 1999, 2001). 
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Module 37 
Infancy and Childhood 
401
In addition, especially for children from poor or disadvantaged homes, child care 
in specially enriched environments—those with many toys, books, a variety of chil-
dren, and high-quality providers—often proves to be more intellectually stimulating 
than the home environment. Such child care can lead to increased intellectual achieve-
ment, demonstrated in higher IQ scores, and better language development. In fact, 
children in care centers sometimes are found to score higher on tests of cognitive 
abilities than those who are cared for by their mothers or by sitters or home day-care 
providers—effects that last into adulthood (Wilgoren, 1999; Burchinal, Roberts, & 
Riggins, 2000; Dearing, McCartney, & Taylor, 2009). 
However, child care outside the home does not have universally positive out-
comes. Children may feel insecure after placement in low-quality child care or in 
multiple child-care settings. Furthermore, some research suggests that infants who 
are involved in outside care more than 20 hours a week in the fi rst year show less 
secure attachment to their mothers than do those who have not been in child care 
outside the home. Finally, children who spent long hours in child care as infants and 
preschoolers may have a reduced ability to work independently and to manage their 
time effectively when they reach elementary school (NICHD Early Child Care 
Research Network, 2001; Vandell et al., 2005; Pluess & Belsky, 2009). 
The key to the success of nonparental child care is its quality. High-quality child 
care produces benefi ts; low-quality child care provides little or no gain and may even 
hinder children’s development. In short, signifi cant benefi ts result from the social 
interaction and intellectual stimulation provided by high-quality child-care centers—
especially for children from impoverished environments (NICHD Early Child Care 
Research Network, 2000, 2002; National Association for the Education of Young Chil-
dren, 2005; Zaslow, Halle, & Martin, 2006).