Is Daycare Bad for Your Child?

Working mothers have jobs in a variety of fields. Their salaries vary, as do their work schedules. Even their reasons for working vary. One thing many working mothers have in common is that they feel guilty about leaving their children while they work. If you are a working mom, there's one more thing about which you might feel guilty (but don't — just keep reading). An ongoing study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development revealed that while children who had been in quality daycare before age five had stronger cognitive skills, they also had more behavioral problems just before and just after entering kindergarten than did their peers who had been in other non-maternal child care arrangements.

Before you abandon the idea of putting your child in a daycare center, there's one other finding of this study that was reported several years ago. When it comes down to it, "Parent and family characteristics were more strongly linked to child development than any aspect of child care." So if you have to or choose to work, it's characteristics of your child's family and home life, some which can be controlled and others that can't, that more strongly affect your child's well-being.

More Resources for Working Moms:

• Working While Raising Your Family
• Returning to Work
• Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Return to Work
• Althernative Work Options