A new study co-authored by Professor Michael Lamb of CambridgeUniversity, is due to be published next year. However, last week, thepress suggested that it will provide evidence of persistent stress amongyoung children attending childcare, as measured by the heightened levelsof cortisol - the stress hormone.
If this is the case, the study will join mounting research evidence onthe impact of childcare on children's emotional wellbeing. This evidenceis likely to influence future policy on childcare, but the nature of itsimpact will very much depend on how it is interpreted.
On the one hand, it could be used to argue childcare is bad forchildren.
An over-reaction would lead to childcare being deemed unsuitable foryounger children, despite the significant role it already plays in thelives of families today.
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