Post-natal depression had a negative effect on caregiving, which in turn affected language; post-natal depression did not have an additional direct effect on language. Socioeconomic factors moderated the effects of depression on caregiving. When targeting interventions at mothers with post-natal depression, it may be strategic to focus on lower socioeconomic groups at higher risk.

Data were drawn from a prospective longitudinal study of 1,201 infants. As found in previous studies, sociodemographic characteristics and maternal caregiving (especially "opportunities for stimulation") were significant predictors of all child outcomes. There were also effects of quantity of individual and group care, and quality of non-maternal care. Controlling for demographics and maternal caregiving, more hours of group care (nurseries) were related to higher cognitive scores, while more hours of individual care (e.g. grandparents, nannies etc.)were related to lower orientation/engagement scores. Non-maternal caregiving was observed in a subsample of 345 children, and after controlling for all covariates as well as quantity and stability of care, quality of care was found to be predictive of higher cognitive ability and better orientation/engagement. Although the effect sizes were small in magnitude, in line with other similar studies, such modest effects from a large English sample are important when viewed in light of the widespread use of non-maternal care during infancy and early childhood.Effects of early child care 3Effects of early child care on cognition, language and task-related behaviours at 18 months: an English study

Original citation:Barnes, Jacqueline ( Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in Tavistock and Portman E-Prints Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://taviporttest.da.ulcc.ac.uk/) of Tavistock and Portman E-Prints Online.This document is the published version of 'The qual ty of different types of child i care at 10 and 18 months. A comparison between types and factors related to quality'. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of Taylor & Francis. You are encouraged to consult the remainder of this publication if you wish to cite from it.The quality of different types of child care at 10 and 18 months: a comparison between types and factors related to quality Running head: Differences in child care quality AcknowledgementsWe gratefully acknowledge the contributions of families and project staff. The project is funded by the Tedworth Charitable Trust and the Glass-House Trust. AbstractThe quality of care offered in four different types of non-parental child care to 307 infants at ten months and 331 infants at eighteen months old was compared and factors associated with higher quality were identified. Observed quality was lowest in nurseries at each age point, except that at eighteen months they offered more learning activities. There were few differences in the observed quality of care by child minders, grandparents and nannies, although grandparents had somewhat lower safety and health scores and offered children fewer activities. Cost was largely unrelated to quality of care except in child minding where higher cost was associated with higher quality. Observed ratios of children to adults had a significant impact on quality of nursery care; the more infants or toddlers each adult had to care for the lower the quality of the care she gave them. Mothers' overall satisfaction with their child's care was positively associated with its quality for home-based care but not for nursery settings. KeywordsChild care; infancy; nurseries; childminding; maternal child care choice, satisfaction. 2The quality of different types of child care at 10 and 18 months: a comparison between types and factors related to qualityThe importance of child care qualityAs research on the impact of child care on children's development has progressed, the overweening importance of the quality of care has become clear (Borge et al., 1996;Lamb 1998; Melhuish, 2004; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, EarlyChild Care Research Network (NICHD) 2002a; 2002b; 2001f; 2001h;Petrogiannis & Melhuish, 1996;Smith, 1998 427-436). Whatever the aims and parameters of studies of child care, quality is almost certain to be a factor in the findings.Quality of child care has an impact on man...