The effects of daycare: Persistent questions, elusive answers

Despite nearly half a century of research on the effects of daycare on children, the fundamental question of whether non-parental daycare adversely affects young children has not been answered conclusively. This article explores the conceptual and methodological difficulties associated with daycare research and how the unique socio-historical place of the daycare issue in American society interacts with inherent difficulties in the science–policy relationship to render a conclusive answer unfeasible.