Children who are sent to nursery school are naughtier than those looked after at home but also brighter a study has found. The research shows that toddlers who spent lots of time away from their parents were more disobedient, defiant, aggressive and disruptive. And the earlier they went into nursery, the worse their behaviour got.
The figures come from the National Institute of Child Health, a US government body, which tracked the lives of 1,300 children from birth to starting school. It found that the more time children spent in childcare, be it nursery school or a childminder, the worse their behaviour got.
Those who spend the most time away from their parents were seen as being defiant and disruptive and prone to fighting and bullying. But the children were also smarter than those looked after by their parents.
Research elsewhere has found that families increasingly rely on grandparents to look after their children instead of nurseries. An estimated 4m households call on friends or relatives compared with the 3.4m who pay for help. The report suggests that many parents do not want to, or cannot afford to, leave their children with childminders, after-school clubs or nurseries. It highlights the flaws in the Government's drive to encourage families to take up formal childcare.
The study by the National Centre for Social Research was published by the Department for Education and Skills. It showed that nannies or aupairs are the most expensive option for working mothers, costing an average of £100 a week. Day nurseries were the second most expensive choice at £72 a week. In contrast childminders cost on average £36 a week and nursery schools £22.25.
The researchers interviewed 8,000 parents with children aged under 14 between September 2004 and January 2005.
(Daily Mail, 3 April 2006)