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Balancing work commitments and parenting responsibilities can be a formidable challenge for many parents. Recent studies, however, suggest that children who spend 40 hours a week in childcare face a heightened risk of encountering social and emotional difficulties.
The research highlights that children exposed to over 30 hours weekly in childcare centers deemed “low quality” are more susceptible to challenges across at least one of five developmental areas.
The most significant effects were observed in social competence and emotional maturity, particularly when compared to their peers who did not engage in formal childcare settings.
Experts attribute this disparity partly to the frequent turnover of childcare staff. A child’s brain development flourishes through stable, secure attachments with consistent adult figures.
Conversely, specialists caution that keeping children solely at home is not invariably advantageous.
Childcare sometimes proves to be a better alternative for children who are experiencing disadvantage, who come from a single-parent household or those with a language background other than English.
The Albanese government expanded childcare support at the start of year with eligible families guaranteed three days of subsidised childcare per week.
While the help is welcomed by families, parent advocacy groups say there needs to be a stronger focus on boosting quality in the childcare sector, because reducing the hours of childcare is not an option for many working parents.