CYP Now - Analysis: Childcare - Does daycare create tiny terrors?

The media storm over nurseries turning two-year-olds into "yobs" has overshadowed much of the Government's new plans for childcare. But do the facts back up the claims? Jo Stephenson looks at the research that sparked the controversy.

Parents trying to juggle the many different responsibilities of work and home have been chucked the equivalent of a buzzing chainsaw after being warned that the places they rely on to care for their children are in fact bringing out the worst in them.

Nurseries are turning children into "thugs" (Evening Standard) or "yobs" (The Sun). Both newspapers ran articles referring to "new research" on the impact of daycare on young children's behaviour.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail warned there was mounting evidence that "leaving the youngest children in nurseries causes long-term damage".

But the research in question is not new and even the academics behind it say they are "baffled" at the storm that has arisen in recent weeks.

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