Study: Daycare Doesn’t Lead to Behavior Problems

Resarchers from Norway and Harvard used 75,000 children for the study.

A new study conducted by researchers from Norway and Harvard Medical School show little evidence that the amount of time a child spends in child care leads to an increase in behavioral problems. The study looked at more than 75,000 children in Norway, contradicting earlier findings in the U.S. that made more solid connections between day care and behavioral issues.

However, Boston College Associate Professor of Education Eric Dearing cautioned the results. He said the Scandinavian country’s approach to child care might explain why so few behavioral problems were found among children. Unlike the U.S. Norway maintains national standards and regulations for child care providers, which may lead to higher quality care. Dearing and colleagues report that next steps will be follow-up studies that determine the child and family policy environments in which child care does or does not put children at risk. (Science Daily)

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