Type of Day-Care and Preschool Intellectual Development in Disadvantaged Children

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Abstract
Levels and patterns of intellectual development of 3 groups of socioeconomically disadvantaged children were compared. The groups consisted of (1) children who were randomly assigned to receive extensive university-based intervention group day-care, (2) children whose parents placed them in community day-care centers for varying amounts of time, or (3) children whose parents chose little to no center-based day-care for their children. Two repeated-measures analysis of variance were performed to identify possible day-care effects on IQ level and on patterns of infant and preschool cognitive development. The results suggest that quality community day-care, as well as intervention day-care, may positively change both the level and pattern of preschool intellectual development of socioeconomically disadvantaged children.