Benefits for daycare kids

The answer is A.

Researchers say one recorded health benefit for daycare kids is that by the time they get to elementary school they have very healthy immune systems, which means fewer colds and illnesses than their counterparts who didn't go to daycare.

Dr. Thomas Ball of the University of Arizona did the study. He and his colleagues tracked 1200 children in Tucson who attended large daycare centers, those with five or more children.

It appears the immunity edge decreases as the child ages. By the time they reach 13 years of age, there is no difference in the number of colds between those who attended daycare and those who didn't.

Resources:

The study results are published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, in the February 2002 issue.

June 8, 2002