Day Care

Question 1

Day Care

Answer 1

Temporary care for a child provided by someone other than his/her parents.

Question 2

Types of Day Care

Answer 2

Day Nurseries (day care centres), nannies, childminders

Question 3

The WHO in 1951 statement

Answer 3

In 1951 the WHO stated that day care can cause permanent harm to a child’s emotional development (based on Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis)

Question 4

Childminders

Answer 4

• Bryant studied child minders in Oxfordshire and found that 75% of the children were detached and 25% were classed as disturbed with poor language skills. Probably due to a lack of mental stimulation and no emotional attachment to the carer.
• Mayall studied child minders in London and found that the quality of the care varied. Some were excellent but many were not.

Question 5

What is social development?

Answer 5

IT is the development of sociability where the child learns how to relate to others and acquires knowledge and skills that are appropriate to their society.

Question 6

Day Care and Social Development

Answer 6

IF ASKED ABOUT SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT ATTACHMENT, PEER RELATIONSHIPS AND/OR AGGRESSION
- In 1994 Violata and Russell reviewed the findings of 88 previous studies and concluded that regular day care for more than 20 hours a week had an ‘unmistakeably negative effect on socio-emotional development, behaviour and attachment of young children.’

Question 7

Effects on Social Development

Negative

Answer 7

• Belsky and Rovine (1988) found support for Bowlby’s theory of permanent harm. Analysed it using the Strange Situation.
• They compared two groups of children, one group had experienced at least 20 hours a week of day care before their first birthdays, the other group no day care.
• Cannot prove with any certainty that its day care that makes them to be insecure attachment.

Question 8

Effects on Social Development (Findings)

Answer 8

• If the child is in day care for more than four months in their first year they are significantly more likely to develop insecure attachments (BUT this is a CORRELATION - NO CAUSE AND EFFECT)
• maybe independent not insecure

Question 9

Effects on Social Development - Violata

Answer 9

Violata conducted a meta-analysis of 88 studies and found that day care for more than 20 hours a week had negative effect on emotional development and attachment.

Question 10

Effects on Social Development (Positive)

Answer 10

• Clarke-Stewart et al (1994)
• Method: Observations
• 150 2-3 year old’s from different backgrounds observed interacting with peers
• Second observation: strength of attachment in 18 month old’s was studied in strange situation. Half of the children experienced high intensity day care (more than 10 hours a week)

Question 11

Effects on Social Development (Positive)

Answer 11

• Found: Day care can have a positive effect on peer relationships and Children receiving up to 30 hours a week of day care were NOT more distressed than other children when separated from parents in the Strange Situation.
• Roggman et al (1994) compared infants who had attended day care in the first year with those who had remained at home and found no difference in attachment with mothers.

Question 12

Important to note Day Care

Answer 12

• May have positive effects for insecure children but negative effects for secure children
• Inconclusive results about day care.
• All research is correlational. Any effects are modified by maternal sensitivity, home life and child’ natural temperament. They are also affected by the quality of care in the day care centre/provided by the childminders.

Question 13

Group Daycare and Peer Relationships (Positive)

Answer 13

• Clarke-Stewart studied 150 children and found that peer relationships were more advanced in daycare children (only a correlation)
• Shea (1981) videotaped children (aged 3-4) in a day nursery, during their first ten weeks and compared the behaviours of those attending for different lengths of time.
• He found that children who attended more regularly were more active, more sociable in that they went looking for people to talk to, and made contact with others (only a correlation)

Question 14

Negative effects of Day Care on Peer Relations

Answer 14

• Sroufe et al (2005) in their Minnesota longitudinal study. They found tht children forming secure attachments with parents were more likely to form close relations with others later in life.
• Since day care could increase the likelihood of insecure attachments this may have a negative impact on relations with peers later in life. JUST A CORRELATION.
• THE NICHD studied 1000 children and found that increased time in non-maternal care before 4 1/2 was associated with lower levels of social competence (only slightly)

Question 15

Group Day Care - Pennebaker 1981.

Answer 15

Group Day Care while good for most children can have a harmful effect on shy children - This can give them a negative schema about school - Pennebaker 1981.

Question 16

Group Day Care

Answer 16

• One of the most thorough studied on day care and social development was conducted by Erel et al 2000. They carried out several meta-analysis and found that:
• Daycare had non-significant effects on social interaction, mother-child interaction and attachment behaviours, regardless of the length of time spent in daycare.
• All research is correlational. Any effects are modified by maternal sensitivity, home life and child’s natural temperament. They are also affected by the quality of care in the day care centre/provided by the child-minder.

Question 17

Day Care and Aggression (part one)

Answer 17

• Vandell and Corasaniti (1990) found that eight year olds who had spent their early years in day care were rated as more ‘non-compliant’ by both their teachers and their parents. (but ratings may be unreliable as people can lie which would lower the validity of the research)
• They fail to separate assertion from aggression.
• A number of studies one of which is Belsky (1999_ have tended to support this finding that long periods of day care in the first five years can lead to raised levels of aggressive behaviour in later childhood.

Question 18

Day Care and Aggression

part two

Answer 18

• The NICHD studied 1000 children from ALL backgrounds over a LONG period and found that children in full time day care over 30 hours were about three times more likely to show behavioural problems compared to those raised at home but they also noted that sometimes assertion is mistaken for aggression
• BUT Borge et al (2004) carried out a questionnaire study over 3000 Canadian (culturally biased research) children comparing day care children with children reared at home. Mothers were asked to rate their Children on measures such as frequently of hitting and biting other children and how the react when accidentally hurt by others.
• Disadvantaged background

Question 19

Day Care and Aggression (part three)

Answer 19

• These researchers found that children kept at home appeared to be more aggressive. However, the results are difficult to interpret since those being kept at home were more likely to be from disadvantages backgrounds.

Question 20

Day Care and Aggression

Evaluation

Answer 20

While day care may appear to make a child more aggressive it is difficult to separate aggression from assertion. The NICHD also noted that a mother’s sensitivity to her child is a better indicator of aggression than ANYTHING else (less sensitive = more aggressive child)

Question 21

Correlational.

Answer 21

All research is correlational. Any effects are modified by maternal sensitivity, home life and child’s natural temperament. They are also affected by the quality of care in the day care centre/ provided by the child-minder.

Question 22

Influence of day care research - implications (evaluation) (part one)

Answer 22

• The quality of the daycare is a CRUCIAL variable
• Good day care centres have:
  1. High staff to child ratios (1:3) - Children receive sensitive care.
  2. Good resources - mental stimulation
  3. Low staff turnover (minimises bond disruption) - develop attachments

Question 23

Influence of day care research - implications (evaluation) (part two)

Answer 23

4. Well trained staff - with appropriate Qualifications
5. Sensitive emotional care. The quality of day care in the UK is monitored by OFSTED to ensure standards are met and maintained.
   - Family backgrounds for those children attending daycare and not attending daycare would also be different and would therefore have an impact on any result.