Assurance for working parents - Impact of early childcare

As every parent knows, the first five years of life are of critical importance in children’s cognitive development, and it is often with a heavy heart that parents leave their child in the care of another while they work.

Therefore, the results of a study into childhood development will bring relief for many working parents who often feel guilty that they have to spend so many hours every weekday apart from their children.

The study into the effects of early childcare finds there is no difference in brain development between children who are looked after in the family home and those looked after outside it, whether by grandparents, childminders, or in a crèche.

The findings are contained in the latest Growing Up in Ireland study, which is tracking the lives of more than 20,000 children across the country. The study found that when tested at age five, children who attended childcare at age three did as well as those cared for solely by their parents.

However, parental involvement remains important, according to the study which also found that one of the main influences on cognitive abilities was the home learning environment.

The report also indicated high engagement with the free pre-school year programme and shows that it is of particular benefit to disadvantaged children. That finding will be reassuring to the Government as well as parents.