Daycare: Psychological Impacts on Child Developmen

Daycare: Psychological Impacts on Child Development (28:00)

As the number of two-earner families continues to rise, the demand for daycare is increasing. Filmed at a nursery, this three-section program discusses some of the possible impacts of daycare on children’s long-term development. Parents, caregivers, and psychology experts express their views about the effects of daycare on attachment; about children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development; and about a growing understanding that time spent in daycare is of as much concern, psychologically speaking, as the quality of that care. The program concludes with insights into what might be done to help parents combine work and child care more effectively. A part of the series Applied Psychology. (28 minutes)

Daycare and Psychology (03:23)
Until the discipline of psychology evolved, daycare was not an issue that society concerned itself with. Psychologists suggested that adults carry early childhood experiences with them. Vocabulary: attachment, bonding.

Effects of Maternal Separation on Children (03:02)
Children who have radical separations from their mothers tend to grow up as troubled adults. Psychologists study the effects of shorter separations, such as daycare, on children, but the experiments are not scientifically controlled.

Developmental Psychology (01:11)
Developmental psychologists study growing children in longitudinal studies. They repeat assessments of a child's functioning or the experiences they are having over time.

Daycare Studies: Insecure Attachment (04:17)
A situation psychologists use to observe children, called the "strange situation," allows observers to see how babies deal with stress and to evaluate the health of attachment to their caregiver/mother.

Preschool Children in Daycare (04:21)
In a longitudinal study, researchers find that children whose mothers work full time during the preschool years do less well in school, and are more at risk for unemployment and psychological stress in later years.

Quality vs. Quantity of Daycare (03:50)
Good daycare can help cognitive development. What about social development? For one or two-child families, daycare is likely to be more socially stimulating than home. The quality of daycare is more important than time spent in daycare.

Significance of Quantity of Time in Daycare (02:39)
Concern over expanding daycare in the US prompted a longitudinal study that distinguished between the quality and quantity of childcare. More time in care is related to more aggressive and disobedient behavior.

Quality Daycare (03:07)
In the 1950s, daycare was considered a poor substitute for maternal care. Psychology can help to specify conditions under which daycare can be beneficial or risky. Quality time with parents helps children and parents bond.