Johnson 1

Morgan Johnson
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
10/1/14
Annotated Bibliography
Research Question: How are day cares affecting early development in children?
Working Thesis Statement: Day cares positively affect early development in children.
Refined Thesis Statement: Day cares negatively affect early education in children because of
parental detachment.
Broude, Gwen J. "The Realities of Day Care." Public Interest 125 (1996): 95. Points of View
Reference Center. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.
This article explains the findings of various groups on the question of whether or not day
care for infants negatively affect the infant-parent attachment relationship. This topic made the
front-page in the April 21 edition of the New York Times. It summarized the findings of an
ambitious government-supported research project, the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. The
results were reported by a panel of investigators at the International Conference on Infant Studies
held in Providence, Rhode Island. Over the past decade, evidence appearing in academic journals
had begun to convince psychologists that youngsters, and especially infants, placed in day care
are more likely to display an insecure attachment to their mothers. It means that the baby is
either unusually sensitive or indifferent to absences of the mother. The idea that day care does
not, after all, compromise the mother-infant relationship was, to say the least, unexpected. In a
1988 study on day care, Jay Belsky, said that his research clearly revealed that extensive
nonmaternal care in the first year is a risk factor in the development of insecure infant-parent

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attachment relationships. In 1975, 6,000,000 working women were mothers of preschool

children. By 1995, the figure had jumped to 14,600,000. In 1977, 4,370,000 children under five
years old were being cared for on a regular basis by someone other than the mother. By 1991,
9,854,000 youngsters were in daycare. At the same time, however, women worried about the
effects that day care might have on their children. Early studies reported no differences in the
quality of attachment of day-care and home-raised children. Some psychologists started to
wonder whether children ought to be placed in day care at all. Only 25 percent of children
attended formal day-care centers. 30 percent of children are sent to home-based day-cares and
about one-third of day-care children are cared for in their own homes by the father, a relative, or
a baby-sitter. In the 1970s the first concern of mothers and researchers had been whether day
care might damage a childs relationship to the mother and how day care experiences affected
the childs cognitive performance. Most studies find that high-quality, and even typical, day care
does not slow children down with respect to the age at which these skills are acquired or the
competence with which they are displayed. Cognitive development of some day-care children is
actually accelerated. However, it does not always produce cognitive benefits and even if it does
the effect is temporary. It is children of impoverished families who benefit most from day care,
although some middle-class children also gain an advantage from attending day care. In a
particular study targeting poor, single teenage mothers, babies were enrolled in full-time, yearround educational day care from six and on-half weeks of age. Their IQ scores were in the
normal range and 10 points higher than other children with the same backgrounds but who had
not attended day care. Children attending home-based day care perform like children who stay at
home with their mothers. Relatively poor showing of home-based day care in comparison with
center-based care is, in part, a result of the fact that home-based caretakers tend not to encourage

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activities that promote cognitive performance. Children who attend day care live in a more
complex and varied social world than do children who stay at home. Children placed in day care
are typically just plain smarter about how to interact with other people and what to expect from
them. However, they are more likely than home-raised children to display bouts of behavior
bordering on the antisocial. Social skills of the day-care child are sometimes more advanced than
those of home-reared children but also sometimes less so. Studies by researchers such as
Deborah Lowe Vandell, Tiziana Aureli, Susan Holloway, Carollee Howes and Tiffany Field
show that youngsters enrolled in day care tend to be more social and more cooperative with their
peers. They are more comfortable about meeting new children or adults. Their play is more
complex. Younger children who have attended day care are more likely to play with each other
instead of alongside each other. Day care children talk more to their peers, and they begin
conversations more often. They also respond to peers more appropriately. Day care also seems to
educate children about social roles and amenities. Children attending day cares are frequently
described as competitive and aggressive with their peers and are more likely to push, kick, hit,
threaten, curse, and fight with other children. They are more prone to be disobedient, demanding,
bossy, bratty, boisterous, irritable, rebellious, impolite, and less compliant in response to the
requests and demands of caretakers. The Early Child Care Study also reported the kind of day
care that a child attends makes no difference to the quality of attachment between mother and
child. Children supervised by someone other than the mother are not less securely attached than
children who attend center-based care. Belsky said: People dont want working mother to feel
guilty. Many parents prefer to send their children to less expensive, more convenient homebased care. Home-based day care is actually equivalent or superior to center-based care. Studies
show that children from poor families enrolled in either day-care centers or day-care homes grow

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faster and walk, jump, and throw a ball earlier than home-raised children. This article is relevant
to my research because it has several different studies on the subject of whether day-cares are
positive or negative for early child development. It has a massive amount of information giving
explanations for both positive effects and negative effects.
"Early Child Care 'Not A Factor' For Babies: Report." ABC Premium News (n.d.): Points of View
Reference Center. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.
This article explains that some parents fear sending their babies to child care too early
may cause behavioral and developmental problems. A study involving about 1,000 children
showed that entering child care before a first birthday does not impede development. Associate
Professor Linda Harrison from Charles Sturt University researched children aged two and three
who had started formal care as babies. She compared their development with children of the
same age who started child care later after having been at home with a parent or other carer. The
study used a variety of measures to determine how the children were faring, including how they
interacted with other, the level of problems behaviors, and how much they appeared to enjoy
their activities. Associate Professor Harrison says the finding, which were based mostly on
reports by teacher, are good news for parents. She says that she believes its up to the parents to
make the decisions about when they need child care and most children will be starting child care
at a later age than they might have had in the past. Her research has broad implications for the
childcare sector, including the push to increase the qualifications needed. This article is relevant
to my research because it focuses on one professor finding that child care doesnt actually
impede on the development of the child. She says that higher quality programs result in better
outcome for children, not just cognitively but in social and emotion areas as well. She also says
the qualifications of the staff is one of the sort of key predicators of higher quality programs.

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"Helpful tips for parents to prepare their toddlers for daycare." Oakville Beaver (ON) 14 Aug.
2014: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.
This article explains that starting daycare can be a big adjustment not only for children
but for parents as well and that its important to prepare for this change ahead of time. It explains
that you should start to develop and practice a routine for getting ready to go in the morning. For
toddlers 18 months or older, its a good idea to start attending small play groups sooner. You
should familiarize your child with a more social environment outside the home. Visit drop-in
centers, and make visits to your chosen daycare before it begins. Meet the staff who will be
caring for your child so that not only you are comfortable with them, but your child is too. You
should speak about daycare in a positive, encouraging way. Talk to your child about the great
activities theyll be participating in, and where and when you will come back to pick them up.
Make sure to have them understand that they are going to daycare before they actually do.
Prepare at least a week before, and be patient, it will take a load of adjusting. When day care
does start, make drop-offs quick. Dont hang around. Allow your child to adapt to the classroom
routines more quickly. Its important that daycare is seen as a positive experience so that your
childs thoughts towards it are good ones. This article is relevant to my research because it gives
great tips on how to start the process of taking your child to day-care. It gives helpful tips on how
to make drop-offs easy and quick.