Nursery World - SEED: Quality care has benefits at age four

Spending more time in good-quality settings can positively impact a child’s ability to socialise, empathise with their peers and regulate their own behaviour, find researchers.

The latest findings from the Government-funded Study of Early Education and Development, known as SEED, which looks at children at age four, found the benefits of spending time in good quality early years settings to be similar for children from both the most and least disadvantaged families.

Benefits to children spending more hours in formal group settings, such as day nurseries, nursery schools or classes and playgroups, included better problem-solving skills and ability to analyse information when tested non-verbally through the use of pictures and diagrams.

Those who were cared for by childminders for more hours were found to have fewer emotional difficulties, such as fears and worries.

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