April 2007

United Way of King County responds to child care study

Did you happen to see a story last week in the Seattle P-I called Study links child care to problem behavior? The same AP story, which also ran in several news outlets across the nation, led to some confusion and debate among parents about the implications. The story reported both positive and negative findings from a longitudinal child care study, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

United Way of King County wants everyone to know that this study reaffirms what child development experts have agreed upon all along:

• Parents are their children’s first and most important teachers.

• Child care can either benefit children or not, depending on the quality of that care.

“The headlines have been very alarmist,” says Susan Spieker, a co-principal investigator for the study, as well as director of the Center on Infant Mental Health and Development and professor of Family and Child Nursing at the University of Washington. “The fact is, we found that the effects of parenting—what they do on a daily basis and the choices they make—have a much greater impact on developmental outcomes than any factor related to child care. Still, the quality of child care matters and can make a big difference in vocabulary and cognitive development,” says Spieker.

Children need nurturing relationships if they are to develop the social, emotional, physical and intellectual skills they need to succeed in school and life. United Way of King County is committed to supporting both parents and caregivers so that children can benefit whether at home or in child care.  

Take action today

• Learn more about the study, which appears in the March/April 2007 issue of Child Development.

• Ask your legislators today to make early learning a top priority in the final budget. There are only three weeks left in this year’s legislative session!

• Send us an e-mail and let us know your thoughts on child care and other issues related to early learning.

Together we have the ability to change our community
for the better in fundamental, lasting ways.

For more information on why United Way of King County cares so much about kids and what we're doing to promote early learning in our community, visit our web site. If you have specific questions or needs pertaining to early learning, please contact earlylearning@uwkc.org

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