Infant Child Care

Infant Child Care

Close to half of all mothers of children under one year of age are now working outside of their homes. Their children are cared for by relatives, by in-home caregivers, and in family day care homes and centres. Family day care is the most common out-of-home child care arrangement for infants, but the proportion of infants in centre care is steadily increasing (Hofferth and Phillips, 1987).

Recent debate has focused on the possibility that children enrolled in out-of-home child care as infants are at risk for later social and emotional development (Belsky, 1988; Clarke-Stewart, 1988). This ERIC Digest will evaluate the evidence concerning infant child care as a risk for children's social and emotional development.

Studies of the effects of maternal employment on the security of the child's attachment to the mother form the primary research base for the assertion that infant child care constitutes a risk for children. Security of attachment is commonly assessed with the Ainsworth Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978) when the child is approximately 1 year old. The Strange Situation is a 20-minute laboratory procedure that involves repeated separations from the mother and the infant's being left with a friendly stranger. 

Sixteen recent studies that used this assessment method showed that infants of full-time employed mothers were more likely to exhibit an insecure maternal attachment relationship than infants of part-time employed and non-employed mothers (Belsky, 1988; Clarke-Stewart, 1988). It is important to recognize that even though more infants of full-time employed mothers were classified as insecure, well over half (Belsky: 59%; Clarke-Stewart: 63%) of the infants of full-time employed mothers have been classified as securely attached. 

On the basis of this research, Belsky (1988) concluded that full-time infant child care prior to the first birthday puts children at risk for later development. Alternative interpretations focus on the psychological meaning of the Strange Situation assessment to the infant who has experienced child care. The experiences of separation of infants in child care centres and family day care homes differ from those of infants not enrolled in child care. We do not know if the former infants find the Strange Situation less stressful than the latter. 

One problem with the research linking maternal attachment security and maternal employment is that it provides little information about the kind of alternative care experienced by the infant. We know that infants become attached to their alternative caregivers (Howes, Rodning, Galluzzo, & Myers, 1988). We also know that the quality of the child's attachment to the mother does not predict the quality of the child's attachment to the alternative caregiver (Howes and others, 1988). A child with an insecure maternal attachment relationship may have a secure attachment relationship with an alternative caregiver. 

These studies suggest that positive relationships with infant child care caregivers may compensate for insecure maternal attachments. If future research supports these conclusions, the stability and characteristics of the infant child care caregiver will assume great importance. 

Mothers who are responsive and sensitive--that is who respond ...