Quality of early childcare in the home and cognitive development at age 5: results from the South African birth to Twenty Plus cohort study

This South African study examined how the quality of childcare at home between 6 months and 2 years of age relates to cognitive development at age 5. Childcare quality was measured through maternal responsiveness and cognitive stimulation. The study found that children from low-income households received lower quality care, but surprisingly found no overall association between childcare quality and cognitive development, though cognitive stimulation did benefit children from low-income families.

Key points

• Quality of home childcare differed significantly by household socio-economic status, with low-SES children receiving lower quality care
• No overall association was found between early childcare quality and cognitive development at age 5
• High levels of cognitive stimulation in the home were associated with increased cognitive development scores specifically for low-SES children
• The study included 856 mother-child pairs from the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort
• Cognitive development was assessed using the Revised Denver Pre-screening Developmental Questionnaire at age 5

Limitations

The study cannot explain why there was no overall association between childcare quality and cognitive development, nor can it determine causality or account for unmeasured factors that might influence cognitive outcomes. The findings are specific to South African populations and may not generalise to other contexts.