Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care?

  1. Jay Belsky1,
  2. Deborah Lowe Vandell2,
  3. Margaret Burchinal3,
  4. K. Alison Clarke-Stewart2,
  5. Kathleen McCartney4,
  6. Margaret Tresch Owen5,
  7. The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network1

Article first published online: 23 MAR 2007

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01021.x

Issue

Child Development

Child Development

Volume 78, Issue 2, pages 681–701, March/April 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Belsky, J., Vandell, D. L., Burchinal, M., Clarke-Stewart, K. A., McCartney, K., Owen, M. T. and The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2007), Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care?. Child Development, 78: 681–701. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01021.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Birkbeck University of London

  2. 2

    University of California, Irvine

  3. 3

    University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  4. 4

    Harvard University

  5. 5

    The University of Texas, Dallas

*Correspondence: concerning this article should be addressed to Jay Belsky, Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues, Birkbeck University of London, 7 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3RA, UK. Electronic mail may be sent to j.belsky@bbk.ac.uk.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 MAR 2007
  2. Article first published online: 23 MAR 2007

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Effects of early child care on children's functioning from 4½ years through the end of 6th grade (M age=12.0 years) were examined in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n=1,364). The results indicated that although parenting was a stronger and more consistent predictor of children's development than early child-care experience, higher quality care predicted higher vocabulary scores and more exposure to center care predicted more teacher-reported externalizing problems. Discussion focuses on mechanisms responsible for these effects, the potential collective consequences of small child-care effects, and the importance of the ongoing follow-up at age 15.

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