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A new study has found that high-quality child care decreases the stress levels of children from all kinds of homes.
Quality of child care
An Edith Cowan University study, undertaken by Dr Margaret Sims, measured levels of cortisol (a hormone resulting from stress) in 156 selected children from 16 centres.
Sims explains, 'Where children receive care that is as good or better than they receive at home, they are able to learn in the new childcare environment.'
The study follows earlier research, which found a high-quality centre to be one with strong staff–child relationships and excellent communication with parents.
Stress levels in children
While children from caring homes were stressed when placed in poor-quality care centres, stress levels did decline in children from disadvantaged homes, despite the low levels of care.
Good quality centres positively affected children from both types of homes, with the stress levels of disadvantaged children falling drastically. Sims states:
'I don't want to say poor-quality child care is OK because it's not. But for some children poor-quality child care is better than what they're getting at home. If they go into really good quality care, however, you see an even bigger drop in their cortisol levels.'
For more information, read the SMH article, 'Happy in care: It's in the hormones'.
Further reading
View these related items on the Early Childhood Australia website:
View these related items from the Australian Journal of Early Childhood:
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Editorial – Margaret Sims, Edith Cowan University
Australian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 33 no. 1, March 2008, pp. ii-iii.
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'Indigenous child care—leading the way', Margaret Sims et al., Edith Cowan University
Australian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 33 no. 1, March 2008, pp. 56-60.
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'What cortisol levels tell us about quality in childcare centres', Margaret Sims, Andrew Guilfoyle and Trevor Parry, Edith Cowan University
Australian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 30 no. 2, June 2005, pp. 29-39
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'Are we asking the right question when we ask "Is child care bad for children?"', Margaret Sims, Edith Cowan University
Australian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 28 no.4 December 2003
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