Child care arrangement and preschool development

Baseline data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children an d Youth were used to evaluate the associations between child care arrangeme nt and poor developmental attainment (PDA). A weighted total of 521,800 chi ldren aged 2 to 3 years were studied (N=2,709) PDA was assessed by age stan dardized motor and social development score. Children were grouped by the p redominant type of arrangement: care by someone in the child's own home, in another home (family child care), at a child care centre, or none (child e xclusive to parents). Controlling for socioeconomic status, biological factors and maternal immig ration, family dysfunction, hostile parenting and low neighbourhood safety were correlated with PDA and positive parent-child interaction decreased th e odds of PDA. Whereas centre child care arrangements were beneficial to de velopment overall (OR=0.41, 99% CI=0.18, 0.93), an interaction existed betw een type of child care and maternal depression; among children with depress ed mothers, centre child care was associated with increased odds of PDA. Fi ndings suggest that the associations between child care arrangement and chi ld development involve interactions of factors that influence a child's hom e environment. Future child development studies exploring these interaction s are warranted.