Non-parental care in the first 18 months in Singapore and its implications for child development

Using two-wave nationally representative data from Singapore, the present study examined whether child care arrangements in the first 18 months predicted children's achievement and problem behavior during the preschool years. Participants included 2,580 children (52.1% boys; 67.1% Chinese, 16.1% Malay, 11.8% Indian, 5.0% Other; Mage = 4.90 years at Wave 1, 2018-2019) and their parents (96.3% mothers). Latent change score models found that a history of non-parental care during infancy predicted higher achievement among preschool-age children, but was associated with more problem behavior through increased parenting aggravation and punitive parenting. Late entry into non-parental infant care and long hours of care were risk factors for developing problem behavior. These findings have important implications for parents, child care providers, and policymakers.