Children minded by relatives develop better language skills

toddler, toddler minded by family, childcare, creche
Children minded by relatives develop better language skills

Young children who are minded by relatives develop better language and verbal skills by the age of three than those minded by outside sources such as creches or non-family members, according to a new study, commissioned by Túsla, the child and family agency, and the Irish Research Council.

The study looked at how children in both situations develop and found that children who attend creches tend to develop better motor skills and hand-eye coordination by age three than children minded by family.

According to the research being cared for by a family member was the only childcare arrangement to have a positive influence on cognitive development, but found that other elements such as stress, depression, family income and the education level of the parents also had an impact on a child’s development.

The study is based on data gathered in national longitudinal study Growing Up in Ireland, and is the first in the country to study the influence of different childcare arrangements on children’s physical, socio-economical and cognitive growth from age nine months to nine years.

maternity & infant

Originally posted 2015-07-08 09:32:04.