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The amount of children being put in routine daycares before the age of one is growing rapidly. Statistics show that more than 50% of mothers are returning to work before their child’s first birthday or even before they are six months old (Society, 2003). The article titled “Does Amount of Time Spent in Child Care Predict Socioemotional Adjustment During the Transition to Kindergarten?” by the Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. shows a recent study about the affects early child care may have on a student involving there emotion transition to kindergarten. This study began in 1991 and the children and families were from 10 different United States locations. The chosen children and families were found during hospital visits. The mothers were chosen with certain requirements like over 18 years of age, English speaking, and children were single births, and the child and mother were healthy (Society, 2003). The sample, after several selection processes, was made up of 1,364 families. The sample had diversity and included minority children, low educated mothers, and single-parent mothers (Society, 2003). As the children grew and were interviewed the number of children in the study lessened, but the final study group still involved single-parents, minority children, and low educated parents (Society, 2003). The children and their homes, daycares, and families were assessed when the child was 1, 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months old. The mothers were contacted every couple months to keep them updated on their child care settings. The children were observed in their daycare settings. The study also assessed the child’s cognitive skills and social development at 1, 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months and kindergarten fall semester (Society, 2003). Mothers, teachers, and care providers were asked to fill out questionnaires about the children’s behavior and social aspects at 54 months and kindergarten (Society, 2003). The results were calculated using the amount of time in hours per week spent in nonmaternal child care and the scores on the questionnaires filled out by parents, care providers, and teachers. The externalizing scores of children at 54 months showed that children with 0-9 hours per week in nonmaternal child care were 2% above the norm from the caregivers’ results and 10% above the norm from the parents’ results. The children with 10-29 hours per week in child care were 12% above the norm by the caregivers’ results and 17% above norm from the parents’ results. The children with 30-45 hours in nonmaternal child care were 18% above the norm by the caregivers’ results and 14% above the norm by the parents’ results. The children with more than 45 hours per week were 24% above the norm by the caregivers’ results and 26% above the norm by the parents’ results. The scores for children in kindergarten were similar in the fact that there was an increase due to the child being in nonmaternal child care (Society, 2003). The results also show that was an increase in the mean outcome between hours spent in child care and assertiveness that was mother related and teacher related at both 54 months and kindergarten. There was also an increase in disobedience for mothers and teachers at both ages. The mean outcome increased for teacher aggression at both ages and mother aggression in kindergarten (Society, 2003). These results show that children are affected by nonmaternal child care socioemotionally; the more time spent in child care equals a higher amount of aggression, assertiveness, and adult-child conflict (Society, 2003). The author states that the study was done to try to find if nonmaternal child care had an effect on a child’s socioemotional transition to kindergarten. The study shows that the amount of time spent in nonmaternal child care does affect the child socially at both 54 months and kindergarten. The more time a child spent in nonmaternal child care the more aggressive the child was and the more child-adult conflict occurred. The study showed that child care does have an affect on the child’s socioemotional transition. The study did its best to minimize other factors like backgrounds, so the study would be more accurate and fair. The factors were minimized, but the study was not perfect and probably not completely accurate because of these natural factors (Society, 2003). I learned that nonmaternal child care can have an affect on a child and their social skills. The more time a child spends in nonmaternal care the more aggressive that child may be. I learned to give a child as much time with their mother as possible because it is important when they are growing socially. I also learned that no matter where the child is from or what the child’s background may be, they need to spend time with their mothers. I found that it is not completely terrible to put a child in daycare, but to make sure the child does have time with their mother.
References Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. “Does Amount of Time Spent in Child Care Predict Socioemotional Adjustment During the Transition to Kindergarten?” Child Development. 74 (July/August 2003): 976-1005.
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