Pre-school childcare and inequalities in child development

Abstract

Centre-based childcare may benefit pre-school children and alleviate inequalities in early childhood development, but evidence on socio-emotional and physical health outcomes is limited. Data were from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (n=14,376). Inverse-probability weighting was used to estimate confounder-adjusted population-average effects of centre and non-centre-based childcare (compared to parental care only) between ages 26-31 months on (age 3): internalising and externalising symptoms, pro-social behaviour, independence, emotional dysregulation, vocabulary, school readiness, and body mass index. To assess impacts on inequalities, controlled direct effects of low parental education and lone parenthood on all outcomes were estimated under two hypothetical scenarios: 1) universal take-up of centre-based childcare; and 2) parental care only. On average, non-centre based childcare improved vocabulary and centre-based care improved school readiness, with little evidence of other benefits. However, socio-economic inequalities were observed for all outcomes and were attenuated in scenario 1 (universal take-up). For example, inequalities in externalising symptoms (according to low parental education) were reduced from a confounder-adjusted standard deviation difference of 7.8 (95% confidence intervals: 6.7, 8.8), to 1.7 (0.6, 2.7). Inequalities by parental education in scenario 2 (parental care only) were wider than in scenario 1 for externalising symptoms (at 3.4 (2.4, 4.4)), and for emotional dysregulation and school readiness. Inequalities by lone parenthood, which were smaller, fell in scenario 1, and fell further in scenario 2. Universal access to centre-based pre-school care may alleviate inequalities, while restricted access (e.g. during lockdown for a pandemic such as Covid-19) may widen some inequalities in socioemotional and cognitive development.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) during COVID‐19 boosts growth in language and executive function

“…Interestingly, informal childcare did not yield the same benefits on either language or CEF growth. Although the evidence is mixed regarding the cognitive benefits of informal care (Green, Pearce, Parkes, Robertson, & Katikireddi, 2020; Hansen & Hawkes, 2009; Laing & Bergelson, 2019; Melhuish et al, 2015), ECEC's strengths in terms of, for example, caregiver‐child interactions, predictable schedules, lower screen use, and caregiver education is likely to be important for nurturing children from disadvantaged contexts (Dowsett, Huston, Imes, & Gennetian, 2008). Note that we did not collect fine‐grained information about the nature of this informal childcare at the first observation point since restrictions did not allow household mixing.…”

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) during COVID-19 boosts growth in language and executive function

“…Interestingly, informal childcare did not yield the same benefits on either language or CEF growth. Although the evidence is mixed regarding the cognitive benefits of informal care (6,7,52,53), ECEC's strengths in terms of e.g., caregiver-child interactions, predictable schedules, lower screen use and caregiver education is likely to be important for nurturing children from disadvantaged contexts (54). Note that we did not collect fine-grained information about the nature of this informal childcare at the first observation point since restrictions did not allow household mixing.…”

Emotional quality of early education programs improves language learning: A within‐child across context design

“…For this reason, public investment in ECE targets ‘school readiness’ to improve children's development, ongoing learning trajectories, and life chances. Yet not every ECE program is successful in delivering positive outcomes for children (Green et al, 2021; Melhuish et al, 2015). Understanding what constitutes a high‐quality ECE program and the specific features and thresholds of quality that deliver improved outcomes for children, remains a policy target and research challenge.…”