Child care experiences and developmental outcomes

Regular nonparental care during the first five years of life has become the norm, rather than the exception, during the past 30 years in the United St ates. Parents and professionals have expressed concerns about the impact of such care on children's development. Initially, much of the research focus ed on whether, when, and how much nonparental care the child received, sugg esting that early and extensive care might negatively affect children's soc ial and cognitive development. More sophisticated studies followed in which child care quality and family characteristics known to be related to both quality of care and child outcomes were also examined. Much of this literat ure indicates that children who experience better-quality care tend to disp lay more optimal cognitive and social development than children who experie nce lower-quality care, although the associations tend to be modest. Implic ations for public policy are discussed.