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Day Care Concern is Not Child's Play

Posted on: Thursday, 21 June 2007, 06:00 CDT

By Marilyn Elias

"You've brought this new life into the world, and you think, 'How can anyone take care of this baby as well as me?' So to put her in day care is, to some extent, a leap of faith," says Nikki Horberg Decter, a lawyer in Boston.

Decter, 33, took that leap a year ago when she and her husband, Jonathan, chose a child care center for their daughter.

About two-thirds of U.S. moms with preschool children are employed, and many still worry that not having a full-time parent at home will hurt their children. "I worry that we could do it better, that my husband and I are missing out on time with her we will not get back," Decter says.

Worry has been an ongoing theme since baby-boom women surged into the labor market. The percentage of mothers of preschoolers with jobs jumped from 30% to 60% from 1970 to 1990 and has edged up to 65% since then. But today's parents have an advantage: Research on day care has greatly increased in the past decade, and findings have been mostly reassuring.

And sometimes the children themselves offer the greatest reassurance. The Decters chose a day care center with a loving climate that provided at least one adult for every three babies. Their daughter, Lila, 15 months, has been gloriously happy there, Decter says. "She's been known to get upset when her father picks her up."

But that doesn't mean the concern is over. Babies' needs change. Now the Decters feel the center isn't intellectually stimulating enough for a toddler. "I worry that the programming is not state of the art, the enrichment activities are not up to snuff," she says. So they're shifting to another center in the fall.

"Lila has benefited from day care," Decter says. "But you want the very best for them, and you have to keep evaluating things."

Some parents were taken aback by a new finding in March from the longest, most thorough U.S. study on day care. The federally financed study, which tracked 1,364 children from birth through elementary school so far, has gathered a trove of information about their parents, day care arrangements and how the children fare emotionally and academically.

High-quality preschool care of any type correlated with slightly better vocabulary by the fifth grade.

What raised eyebrows was that the more time preschoolers spent in day care centers -- not with nannies or at family day care homes -- the more aggressive and disobedient they were in sixth grade, according to teacher reports. But the difference was not statistically significant unless preschoolers were in group care for four years, says James Griffin of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Also, the "behavior problem" score differences were small. On a scale of zero to 100, the average score is 50. Those in group care for four years averaged 52 -- still in the normal range, Griffin says. "These are not the bullies teachers dread," says study co-author Margaret Burchinal of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Kids who score 60 are referred to counseling for possible behavior disorders.

Still, the finding is worrisome, says senior author Jay Belsky of Birkbeck, University of London. He likens a little more disruption in many classes to a little more pollution from many cars -- it can add up.

Kids in long-term group care may become more peer-oriented, says Burchinal. If there's not enough individual attention, misbehavior can be contagious.

But a key reassuring conclusion of the study is that quality of mothering -- how sensitive a child's mom is to his needs -- far outweighs anything about day care.

Another large study out in February tracked kids only to kindergarten. It, too, found long hours in group care correlated with more behavior problems, but not for blacks or English-speaking Hispanics, who had academic benefits.

Any type of child care can be negative -- or positive -- for certain children, says Karen Heying of Zero to Three, a national non-profit group. A good day care center can offer mental stimulation, she says.

The fit counts, she adds. "A very social child who blossoms in groups might do well in a center ... A more low-key kid who doesn't like a lot of change or stimulation would probably do better in a smaller setting."

And soaring costs, along with limited availability, can restrict parents, says Gina Adams, a day care specialist at the Urban Institute.

Even kids in limited day care often resist a parent's departure. Two-year-old Andrew Samuels of Belmont, Calif., has a nanny twice a week. "He always says 'No Mommy go work!'" says Tara Samuels, his mother, who does public-relations work. Lately, he's said, "Andrew go work!" as he tries to leave with her. The tot also is in group care at Samuels' gym several hours a week. "I think it's good for him. He's learned to play independently and socialize with other kids," she says.

Research is rapidly growing on how day care affects children, with studies underway that are more scientifically sound than ever, says Martha Zaslow, vice president for research at Child Trends, a group that tracks children's well-being.

Still, decisions come down to individual families, and for many parents, they're not easy ones. "It's hard to look at your baby lying in a bassinet," says Decter, "and try to figure out what she's going to be like and what will be best for her."

*See a state-by-state look at annual average day care costs at usatoday.com. (c) Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

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