Giving children a head start

A sociological study by Lucille Cachia shows that children who have been to childcare centres learn certain social skills at an earlier age than other children who have stayed at their parents or grandparents’ home until kindergarten.

The study was based on an analysis of interviews with parents whose children have been to child care centres, parents of children who have not been to child care centres and kindergarten assistants. Significantly, the majority of kindergarten assistants interviewed in this study suggested that it is helpful for them to have children who have been to childcare centres in class.

Five kindergarten assistants interviewed in the study said that children who have been to childcare centres don’t cry that much and already have certain basic skills – such as eating at the table and going to the toilet on their own.

“They would know how to use their cloth for lunch time, and they wouldn’t cry all that much because they would have already grown accustomed to spending time away from their mum,” one of the kindergarten assistants said.

One of the major differences noted by the kindergarten assistants is that detachment from parents is easier for children who have been to child care centres. “Children who have been to care centres would say ‘bye mum’

and that’s it, while the others wouldn’t stop crying and it would be traumatic for them to separate from their mother.”

Differences in the way these children participate in school activities were also noted.  “I notice the difference in behaviour during activities, even while painting, because you would realise that a child has already handled a paintbrush… if children live with their grandparents, they wouldn’t engage in these sorts of activities”.

But two of the seven kindergarten assistants interviewed referred to the difficulties of children who have attended childcare centres to break up the established relationship with their carer to start a new one with the kindergarten assistant.

“I believe that it is even worse for children, because they first separate from their mum at a tender age and are left with an adult, then they have to break with that adult and start another relationship with a new one”. The study also compared the experiences of six parents who have enrolled their children to a childcare centre and six parents who have not done so.

Parents whose children have been to childcare centres noticed differences in their children’s behaviour since they began attending childcare centres. These children were able to sing nursery rhymes, paint, eat properly and learn social skills such as playing with other children and choosing friends.

Parents claimed that their children, who had been to a childcare centre, had no difficulty to enter kindergarten as they were already detached from their parents and had a certain level of independence.

This wasn’t the case for children who had not been to childcare centres, as the majority of the parents mentioned how difficult it was for their child to grow used to being separated from them, and adapt to the school environment.

Whereas for the children who had already been to a child care centre, it took between three to five days to get used to the school environment and to enter into the school without crying, for the second group of children this process took longer. For four of the children, parents said, this process took between two to three months. Children who had been to childcare centres had already interacted with other children and had some ‘social experience’.

They were exposed to interaction with peers at an earlier age and at that tender age, children already spoke to their parents about who their friends were.  Although the study shows that children who have been to childcare centres are endowed with some skills and practices while others are not, kindergarten assistants claim that children reach the same level by the end of the first scholastic year.

The dissertation entitled The Effect of Childcare Centres on Children at Kindergarten: A Sociological Analysis was presented by Lucille Cachia to fulfil the requirements of the B.A. (Hons) degree in Social Studies.