Working mothers can breathe a sigh of relief when dropping off their little ones in childcare.
Children who go to nursery are better behaved and have fewer emotional problems than those cared for by family or a childminder, a study has found.
Those who attended a crèche or day care centre for a year or more found it easier to make friends and had better social skills than youngsters who stayed at home.
Children who go to nursery are better behaved and have fewer emotional problems than those cared for by family or a childminder, a study has found
Researchers believe more stimulating play, more time spent reading, following rules from a young age and getting praise mean they thrive in a nursery setting.
The French study of 1,428 children up to the age of three, compared those who went to a nursery or crèche staffed by professionals with other more informal care settings.
Previous research has suggested early childcare can boost a child’s language and thinking skills, and may improve their academic performance.
The new study wanted to test the potential impact formal care settings from a young age could have on behaviour.
The researchers found these youngsters were less likely to have emotional and behavioural problems later on in childhood, and more likely to have better social skills.
Those who had been looked after by a childminder were the most likely to have behavioural issues in both boys and girls, they found.
Scientists from Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health in Paris tracked children’s emotional development from birth up to the age of eight.
Parents were asked a series of questions about their children’s behavioural and emotional problems at three, five-and-a-half, and eight years old, including any difficulties making friends, hyperactivity, poor attention, conduct, and social skills.
They were also questioned on what type of childcare had been provided when their children were four, eight, and 12 months old, and again when they were two and three years old.
More than four in ten (44.5 per cent) were looked after by childminders, while a quarter (26 per cent) went to nursery, a crèche or day care centre, and just under a third (30 per cent) were cared for by family or friends.
Those who attended a crèche or day care centre for a year or more found it easier to make friends and had better social skills than youngsters who stayed at home
Around one in six children had behavioural problems including hyperactivity and low attention spans, while a similar number were found to have emotional issues.
Just under seven per cent had difficulties making friends while 13 per cent were judged to have poor social skills.
Analysis showed those who received formal care were less likely to have emotional and behavioural problems, and more likely to have better social skills than those looked after by family or friends.
Children cared for by childminders were the most prone to behavioural issues, the researchers found.
Since women began entering the workforce in increasing numbers in the 1980s, some child development researchers have reported that childcare has harmful consequences for children’s social and emotional adjustment.
But this study found that overall, children whose mothers had gone to college or university and were in good mental health benefited the most from formal childcare.
Boys who went to nursery had fewer emotional problems, but those looked after by a childminder had more behavioural problems, according to the findings published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Girls in particular benefitted from the more formal setting as they are more prone to being shy, nervous or upset, researchers suggest.
The authors conclude: ‘Access to high quality childcare in the first years of life may improve children’s emotional and cognitive development, prevent later emotional difficulties and promote prosocial behaviours.’