Study criticises long daycare

LONG HOURS spent in full day-care can contribute to anti-social behaviour in children, a sociology conference heard at NUI Galway.

No child should spend more than four hours a day in such care, according to a study carried out by Maureen O’Hara from the Sligo Institute of Technology.

Presenting the results at the Sociological Association of Ireland annual conference in Galway yesterday, Ms O’Hara said the Government must allow for more child-friendly employment.

The booming economy put many more women in the workforce, she said.

Research on the northwest found that babies as young as four months were being cared for in childcare facilities from 6.45am until 6pm daily, five days a week, and some children were spending up to 11 hours a day in childcare.

Some 25 of 27 childcare managers interviewed said that they would not leave their child in full daycare.

“What we are also finding now is that children can remain in childcare . . . up to 12 years of age,” Ms O’Hara said.

“We won’t know the full effects of this for some time and what I would like to do at some stage is interview these children and then compare the findings with children who haven’t gone through this process.”