Parents are increasingly reliant on grandparents to help out with childcare. That’s especially true in this tough economy, since more and more people need to work. However, in what’s sure to spark some discussion, The (UK) Guardian reports on research that demonstrates that children in the care of their grandparents are less ready for school than their daycare counterparts…

According to research by the Institute of Education, children looked after by grandparents at the age of nine months were also considered to be less sociable with other children at age three than those who had been in the care of a nursery, creche, childminder, nanny, or another relative. However, the findings did show that grandparent care had a more positive influence on verbal skills.

The study of 4,800 UK children born in 2000 and 2001 who had mothers who worked when they were babies compares formal care in a group setting with informal care by grandparents.

The findings suggest that formal care given by qualified staff following a more structured curriculum, such as that provided by nurseries and creches, will help a child’s cognitive development more than less formal care provided by relatives, friends and neighbours.

I think the possible differences aren’t necessarily related to the caregiver being a grandparent, but may be related to informal versus formal care. A family caregiver isn’t always going to formally educate a child under a specific curriculum, but they provide a more organic approach to education that it might not be possible to measure. I also wonder if these differences in preparation equal out over time in school.

However, another way to look at grandparent care is that some studies show that children are twice as safe when under the care of a grandparent:

The analysis showed that having grandparents as caregivers cut the risk of childhood injury by about half. Compared to organized day care, care by other relatives, or even care by a mother who doesn’t work outside the home, children who were cared for by a grandmother were less likely to be injured.

As with most issues, there’s positives and negatives regarding grandparent care. This article titled “Nurseries better than grandparents, research shows,” is somewhat sensationalistic, but it’s refreshing to see that most readers spoke out in favor of the benefits grandparents provide.

–Elizabeth Thiekle

What are you thoughts on this?