Study Examines Effects of Child CareFindings of the ANU Longitudinal Survey of 5000 Australian children
A recent study on the effects of child care on children has shown only minor differences between children in parental care and those in centre based care.
The research showed that the effects of service based care differ according to the quality of the care and the background of the parents.
The study, conducted by ANU economists Professor Andrew Leigh and Dr Chikako Yamauchi, used data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children (LSAC), which follows the progress of 5000 children born in 2004.
Dr Yamauchi said they found some evidence that children in non-parental care have worse behavioural outcomes than children at home however he said the differences were minor.
"It would be a mistake to conclude from this that day care is harmful for children. The size of the differences are quite small, and could possibly reflect differences in the kinds of families who choose to use non-parental care," he said.
This information was gained by asking the parents of the LSAC children about how the child responded in unfamiliar circumstances, how well the child persisted with tasks, and whether the child had temper tantrums.
The researchers also found that the relationship between behaviour and child care differs according to parental socioeconomic status and the quality of care.
"The negative association between behavioural outcomes and non-parental care is strongest for children of affluent and highly-educated parents," said Professor Leigh.
"This accords with prior research, and may reflect the fact that children in these families have more resources at home, or that there are differences in parenting across socioeconomic groups.
The study also showed that children may benefit from higher staff ratios.
"We also found some evidence that the negative association between behavioural outcomes and child care use is ameliorated in child care centres with smaller group sizes."
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