Day nurseries have been under the media spotlight for the past few years, so one more story should not be a surprise. However, each and every 'bad'
news story leaves a trail of damage and undermines the confidence of parents and early years practitioners. The considerable media coverage of a new book by Steve Biddulph is not surprising. Once again we find day nurseries, childcare practitioners and working mothers under attack.
The problem with research is that it can be easily misinterpreted to suit the purpose. This is exactly what Steve Biddulph's does best. A parent might well be surprised to know the findings of the 'Penelope Leach study'
he refers have yet to be published and if you visit the Results page on the website for this study (www.familieschildrenchildcare.org) you will only find a statement referring to a much-publicised talk by Ms Leach concluding with the sentence, 'The contents of Dr Leach's talk have been widely misinterpreted by the media.' It is ridiculous to quote findings that do not exist.
However, we can debate the conclusions of the EPPE study, which seem to be the most misquoted set of findings in the history of childcare - and as a member of the original reference group I can say that with some authority.
There are some wonderful findings about the positive impact that high-quality settings and well- qualified staff have on the development of children - for example, 'An early start at pre-school (under three years) was linked with better intellectual attainment and children having better relationships (peer sociability) with other children at age three years.'
It was also found that integrated centres (these are centres that fully combine education with care) and nursery schools tend to promote better intellectual outcomes for children. This is exactly what a day nursery is designed to deliver. EPPE does not conclude that anything over 20 hours is wasted - rather, that there are no measurable gains in attainment.
Childcare is as much about fun and play as it is about educational attainment.
The one conclusion that has sparked debate is that 'high levels of care before the age of three' were associated with higher levels of anti-social behaviour. However, it also concludes that these children 'by contrast, showed better cognitive skills'. I would argue that what is seen as 'anti-social behaviour' by schools may indeed be the result of moving children who have been in one childcare environment to another at a very young age and expecting them to cope with new rules. A big change in environment, routines and staffing ratios must surely be the underlying factor .
A long-term study in Sweden by Andersson concluded that children starting daycare under the age of one 'performed better in school and on aptitude tests than children entering daycare at a later stage and children remaining at home'. They were rated 'as more verbally facile' and 'less anxious and more socially confident'. Even more interesting is the finding that on 'other socio-emotional measures, such as short temper and impulsivity, attentiveness versus distractability, assertiveness and peer contacts', no differences were found related to the children's daycare experiences.
We all know that Sweden has an enviable childcare system and parents have a 12-month parental leave entitlement. What we should be asking is, how can the UK develop such a system? Where are the resources to fund childcare so it meets the standards in Europe and parents are properly supported to pay for childcare?
Mr Biddulph needs to take a proper look at day nurseries. They are not the ones he looked at 20 years ago. They are not even the same as those we saw five years ago. Childcare is changing. Children are nearly one when they start, and as more women access flexible working, so the number of children attending full-time has decreased.
We are no longer a 'male breadwinnner' society, and it is pointless to attack women for working or day nurseries for providing their service. The real debate is about how we can persuade the Government to speed up its investment in childcare and parental support to ensure we will develop a childcare service to rival those enjoyed by families in France and Sweden.
Rosemary Murphy was chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association from 1998 to 2005 and owns three day nurseries
