Nursery World - Childcare may prevent emotional and behavioural problems later

Children who spend some time in formal childcare are less likely to have behavioural problems than those that are cared for solely at home, according to new research.

The study of more than 1,400 French children by academics from Sorbonne University has found that high-quality centre-based childcare may be linked to lower levels of emotional symptoms.

The researchers claim that theirs is one of few studies to examine the association between childcare type and children’s psychological development over several years in a country with a policy of universal access to early childcare, directly comparing two different childcare types.

The results showed that compared with children in informal childcare, those who attended centre-based childcare had a lower likelihood of having high levels of emotional symptoms, problems with relationships with their peers, and low pro-social behaviours.

Children’s behavioural and emotional symptoms between three and eight years old were studied in relation to childcare during the first three years of life (centre-based, childminder, informal care).

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