Children who got quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did those who received lower quality care. Also, the more time that children spent in child care, the more likely their sixth grade teachers were to report problem behaviour.The findings come from the largest study of child care and development conducted in the US. The 1,364 children in the analysis had been tracked since birth as part of a study by the National Institutes of Health.In the study, being released in journal Child Development, researchers evaluated whether characteristics observed between kindergarten and third grade were still present in fifth grade or sixth grade. The study found the vocabulary and behaviour patterns did continue, though many other characteristics did dissipate. The increase in vocabulary and behaviour problem was small, and parenting quality was an important predictor of child development.
