Why daycare is good for children

Check out these surprising perks of sending your kids to daycare, all backed by scientific research and guaranteed to make you breathe a little easier the next time someone tries to make you feel guilty for being a hard-working mother. The conventional wisdom would have you believe that daycare kids grow up to be antisocial bullies, but rest easy: A new study confirms that kids who attend "high-quality, center-based childcare" actually exhibit better behaviors than those who don't.

Researchers at Sorbonne University in Paris surveyed nearly 1, parents. The parents were asked to chronicle their child's behavior from birth until 8 years, and a distinct pattern emerged: Children who attended daycare for more than one year demonstrated better social skills and fewer peer-related difficulties.

Maria Melchior, co-author of the report, told Popsugar. It turns out all of those daycare germs may be a good thing, strangely enough. Other studies have shown that kids who attend daycare or playgroups have about a 30 percent lower risk of developing the most common type of childhood leukemia.

However, there was one encouraging caveat: Children in high-quality daycare had better language and cognitive development during the first four-and-a-half years of life. Even better, the benefits remain at least through the age of A year study led by the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that infants enrolled in a high-quality childcare program were four times more likely to have earned a college degree.

Looking for the best daycare in Jackson? Please visit ABC Academy. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Privacy Policy. Daycare has a good mix of fun and learning The events and moments that your kids experience during their childhood form the critical foundation for later learning and relationships with family members, friends and peers. Regular schedules and routines Young children may not understand the concept of time but they can learn about routines and schedules in a daycare.

Academic advancement Various scientific studies have shown that kids who spend time in high quality daycare as young children had higher cognitive performance as teens. Increased confidence Sending your child to a daycare teaches them to feel confident and comfortable in social settings.

Communication Because a daycare environment includes other children of different ages and stages, it is an excellent venue for your child to learn how to communicate effectively. Time for fun and socialization Kids need plenty of time to have fun and socialize. Smoother transition into kindergarten Children enrolled in a quality daycare find it easier to transition to the structured environment of kindergarten. Booth and Kelly, two authors from the above NICHD study, followed young children with or at risk for developmental disabilities, to determine if child care made a difference to their development [5].

When they compared children with developmental disabilities who attended daycare and children who were cared for at home by their mothers, they found that:. Furthermore, when Booth and Kelly looked at the children with special needs who attended child care, they found that the quality of the caregiving at home affected the outcomes of these children [5]. Therefore, spending time in child care is not necessarily beneficial or harmful for the development of children with special needs [5].

Booth and Kelly were of the opinion that, when children begin daycare when they are a little older, it gives them more time at home with their parents, which allows them to benefit from consistent caregiving and routines. This seems to help them develop behaviour regulation skills. Therefore, starting daycare early, especially in the first year of life, may not be ideal for children with special needs.

However, Booth and Kelly [5] found that:. Regardless of whether children attend child care, what happens at home matters most in terms of their development. Frequent back-and-forth interactions within everyday activities, during which parents listen to their child, respond warmly and with interest to what he communicates and provide information that he can learn from are what count.

Why is daycare good for kids? Some facilities will begin to incorporate school-readiness programs and academics into their curriculum for older kids. Stemming from the daily social interactions your child will have at daycare comes countless opportunities for connection and communication.

One of the many benefits of daycare is the opportunity for your baby to engage with others in active communication as they make meaningful connections and strengthen their language skills.

Having a familiar environment where your child feels safe and comfortable will allow them the confidence to practice their expressive language skills at each developmental stage.

The importance of consistency and routine in early childhood is undeniable — and daycare provides your child and the entire family with exactly that. As new little humans in a big world, children need a solid foundation of structure and stability to learn and grow. Predictability provides children an opportunity to feel in control of their lives and increasingly confident in their place in the world.