Study finds that effects of low-quality child care last into adolescence

from The Washington Post. The article reports on what appears to be a well designed, long range study of child care and behaviors that include academic achievement. It is clear that people are spinning the results of this study in different ways. Some are emphasizing the small correlation with the number of hours kids spent in daycare and later problem behaviors, while others emphasize the finding of a similar correlation with the size of the daycare groups the child was put in. (Kids in smaller daycare settings did better.) The former emphasis argues for stay-at-home mothers which is popular among conservatives regardless of whether it is a realistic option for many mothers. Nevertheless, the study will probably be used to rationalize cutbacks to any federal funding for daycare.

...they discovered that teenagers who had received higher-quality child care were less likely to report engaging in problem behaviors such as arguing, being mean to others and getting into fights. Those who spent more hours in child care of any kind were more likely to engage in impulsive and risky behaviors. And those who received moderately high- or high-quality care scored higher on tests gauging cognitive and academic achievement.

...The researchers stressed that the benefits of higher-quality care were modest -- a difference of just a few points on standardized tests measuring reading, math, memory and other cognitive abilities, and self-reports of behavioral problems. Other factors, such as the influence of parents and family members, were clearly more important. However, the findings held true even after the researchers took those and other factors into account.