Daycare Quality

NIH study evaluates impact of high-, low-quality daycare on children.
USA Today (5/14, Szabo) reports, "Children who attended high-quality childcare as babies and toddlers do slightly better on academic tests at age 15 than kids who were in lower-quality care, according to the largest and longest-running study of its kind, released" by NIH. But, "kids who spent the most total time in day care also grew up to act more impulsively and take more risks than their peers, according to the study of 1,364 youngsters, who have been evaluated regularly since they were 1 month old." Nevertheless, "youth who had spent more time in high-quality childcare were slightly less likely than others to act out as teenagers." James Griffin, of NIH, said that "earlier results from the study indicate that parents have 'far more influence' on children's development than childcare."
The Los Angeles Times (5/14, Healy) explains, "When answering questions that measured their impulsiveness, teens rated themselves about 16% more rash in their behavior for every additional 10 hours they spent per week in day care as a preschooler." Meanwhile, "in terms of risk-taking, the link to time spent in day care was more marginal: Ten more hours a week in day care prompted the average teen to answer one out of 30 questions with an admission of more risky behavior."
The Washington Post (5/14, Stein) reports that although the "differences between teens who received low- and high-quality care when they were very young were relatively small...the endurance of these disparities startled researchers." The Post quotes Griffin as saying, "The fact that you have this persistent association is pretty remarkable." Notably, "several experts praised the findings, saying they underscore the urgent need for local, state and federal governments, employers and others to improve access to high-quality child care." The Wall Street Journal (5/14, Wang) and Reuters (5/14, Fox) also cover the story.