Quality of childcare provider has major effect on the behavior of keiki

By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer

Before heading to work, Peter Hoffenberg spends a few moments of quality time with his daughter Libby, far left, at the Manoa Children's Center. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Across the sand, in the shade of a tree, a blanket with puzzles on it awaits the children now perusing books. A "writing center" is poised on a picnic table, where a teacher takes dictation from a 4-year-old for the Powerpuff Girls story she illustrated the night before.

It seems unlikely that the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Children's Center's playground, which is transformed daily into an outdoor classroom, could breed aggression and disobedience in children who spend many hours there.

But that's what a recent study tracking the effects of childcare nationwide seemed to imply. Reported April 19 in the Advertiser, psychologist Jay Belsky, one of the authors of the study that followed 1,300 American children for seven years, said, "As time in daycare goes up, so do problem behaviors."

But simplified conclusions do not tell the entire story.

It turns out that much depends on the quality of the child-care provider. And studies have indicated that if the conditions are right, children actually may receive benefits from the professional care.

Elisabeth Chun, executive director of the Good Beginnings Alliance, said that the study, sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, was "well thought out."

However, "our conclusion is that the media picked out the pieces it wanted to pick out. This is only one piece of the puzzle, and one must not take it as the whole picture."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 62 percent of mothers work outside the home, and they usually return to work in their child's first three to five months of life, leaving mothers little choice but to put their children in someone else's care.

"Childcare is a reality in this country," said Linda Buck, coordinator of early childhood programs at Honolulu Community College. "We need to look at how we can do it better."

That involves fostering more extensive training for teachers, increasing their salaries so they stay in their positions and making sure that "people who work with young children understand that they're also working with their families," Buck said.

Karin Ahsing, a mother of children ages 4 and 2 who attend Na Lei, a KCAA pre-school in Kalihi, said of the report, "I wasn't worried at all. (Childcare) has really helped them overall. My daughter looks forward to having friends at school and being social. I think it's really helped her social skills."

Ahsing, who stayed home for four years and can compare the experiences, also sees other benefits: "They've learned how to take turns, and they don't fight for my attention. To me, they're getting so many things that are good that it really outweighs" the possibility of negative influences.

Stephanie Feeney, a professor of education at the UH's College of Education and a specialist in early childhood, emphasized, "It's not childcare that makes children aggressive, it's bad childcare."

It's too many kids in a small space with untrained teachers that creates problems, she said.

Indeed, the study reported that "child-care quality was the most consistent predictor of children's behavior. Children in care receiving more sensitive and responsive attention had fewer caregiver-reported problems at ages 2 and 3."

The purpose of the study was to follow more than 1,300 children, not to assess whether childcare was good or bad for children but "to determine how variations in childcare (such as quantity and quality) are related to their development."

By the end of the study, the team concluded that "in general, family characteristics and the quality of the mother's relationship with the child were stronger predictors of children's development than child-care factors."

In other words, the family situation is most important influence on a child's behavior.

Quality is everything

Beyond that, results depended on the quality of the child-care program.

In fact, the study noted that children who spent their early years in a good program scored better in language and cognitive skills before entering kindergarten.

Buck cited another study released in 1998 and sponsored by the National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education. It showed that children in high-quality programs actually have fewer behavior problems and tend to be more socially competent.

Despite the possible benefits, Buck said that the study "opened a door to a closet that we have been wary about looking into. The study has some implications for things we might really want to be looking at from a policy, training and caregiving perspective."

Geri Kunishima, founder and director of Kupono, a McCully learning center that schools children ages 4 to 18, believes that problems in childcare arise when "there's no one responsible directly for that child's emotional well-being."

This is why she said that she works to make sure every teacher takes care of certain children and has an emotional investment in their progress that extends beyond the workday.

In promoting good values and behavior, she said, "you cannot be generic." Instead, teachers must specifically praise what the child has done well. That can't happen when there are too many kids, and a connection between teachers and students is absent.

Many factors are needed for those connections to occur.

Said Feeney: "I think Jay Belsky and I are worried about the same things." These include the constant turnover of early childhood teachers who don't make enough money to stay in the field, as well as environments that are not nurturing.

"Kids need loving, consistent caregivers," Feeney said.

Measuring aggression

Local experts raised another issue: How was aggression measured? News reports on the study said that even the problem children's "behavior was still within the 'normal' range on a standardized rating system — not enough to diagnose them with a behavior disorder."

Chun noted, "Very often children who have been in quality programs have been akamai on how to be in groups." In other words, they may be more self-assured, know how to work in groups, and feel unafraid to volunteer, speak up and go to the head of the line.

"So what does it mean to have a curious child who explores?" she continued. "Because that's what a quality program will encourage. We must be careful to look at that behavior not as aggressive, but as normal development."

Peter Hoffenberg, a professor of history at UH, said as he dropped off his daughter at the Manoa Children's Center, "You don't want cookie-cutter kids" who do not express themselves or ask questions. "Too often in our society what seems like anti-social behavior is just individualistic."

Ahsing believes that her daughter's assertiveness has been an advantage in their relationship. She is able to communicate more effectively. "If she didn't bring (a problem) up," Ahsing said, "I wouldn't be able to deal with it."

When issues do arise at school, in Hoffenberg's experience, the teachers at the Manoa Children's Center are especially skilled at conflict resolution in ways that many parents aren't. Why? Because the teachers are well trained and "have some (emotional) distance," he said. Yet the teachers "also truly love the kids," and often attend birthday parties with family members.

Any excellent program might resemble what Hoffenberg says he witnesses daily at the center: "There's a real 'ohana spirit here."

Time with parents essential

But this spirit can never supplant the actual family. "Nobody can replace parents," said Christina Cox, president of KCAA Pre-schools of Hawai'i and an educator for 28 years. "I think that's a reassuring message for parents to hear."

"It's good that parents have an awareness that children (in care) can have more aggression," said Troy Freitas, the father of 4-year-old twins who attend Mother Rice, a KCAA pre-school in Mo'ili'ili. "It reinforces the belief that if you are putting children in childcare, it's extremely important to make time to spend with them after you pick them up."

Freitas also said that news of the study "didn't shock me or my wife, or make us second guess our decision." They understand the pros and cons of having their children cared for outside the home, but appreciate the benefits the children gain from the stimulating environment.

However, Cox said the study attracted her attention because she has noticed over the past few years that behaviors have indeed become more aggressive. "We've had to look for more workshops to train teachers how to deal with aggression," she said.

While the numbers of children who display contentious behavior have not necessarily increased, the level of that aggression has. But is childcare the cause? Cox doesn't think so. She believes many problems can be attributed to violence in the media, often selected (or allowed) by parents.

Cox sends a practical and hopeful message to parents: "If you have to work 30 or 40 hours a week, pick your (child-care) place (cautiously). Take time off when you can. Choose your television shows wisely, opting for more gentle programs on PBS."

No matter what the situation, she said, "We can reframe the future for our children."

Chun sees the possibilities a study like this can create: "We want to use this as an opportunity to guide parents in selecting quality care. And demanding it."