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Study shows that informal daycare may reduce childhood cognitive development
By Staff Writer
 A new study by researchers from various universities indicates that formal daycare may improve children's cognitive development more than informal daycare, such as staying at a family member's home. This study was published in the Journal of Labor Economics. Specifically, the study's results indicated that children who went to a formal preschool program or a licensed daycare had almost the same standardized test scores as kids who stay at home with their mothers. However, children who had informal childcare had a 2.6 percent decrease in their test scores for every year they were in this setting compared to those who remained with their mothers. In order to get these results, researchers compared testing scores for children between the ages of 3 and 6. Researchers said that these results show that early childhood development can be very important in a child's cognitive development. Parents who are worried that their child is not performing well academically may want to consider enrolling him or her in a therapeutic boarding school. These institutions can give youths a more structured curriculum and provide them with extra educational support.
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