The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds is a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, intended as guidance for the clinician in rendering pediatric care.  It is written by Kenneth R. Gindberg, MD, MSEd and the Committee on Communications and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. 

Abstract 
Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social & emotional well-being of children and youth.  Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children.  Despite the benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children.  This report addresses a variety of factors that have reduced play, including a hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure and increased attention to academics and enrichment activities at the expense of recess or free child-centered play.  This report offers guidlelines on how pediatricians can advocate for children by helping families, school systems and communities consider how best to ensure that play is protected as they seek the balance in children’s lives to create the optimal developmental milieu.

The full report is linked below:

importanceofplay.pdf

The book linked below, dated March 2007 is authored by:

Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain
J. Fraser Mustard
Sr. Stuart Shankar

This book was published by the Council for Early Child Development, 277-401 Richmond Street West. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3A8
www.councilecd.ca
Email: cecd_general@councilecd.ca

 In an excerpt from the page, “A Message from the Authors”, J. Fraser Mustard notes:
We now understand how early child and brain development sets trajectories in the health, learning and behaviour for life.  How we apply this knowledge in our various societies will determine whether we will be successful in the 21st century.
To establish stable, prosperous, equitable societies, we have to make equality of opportunity for all young children a key policy of our societies.

To link to this study click here: fraser-mustard-margaret-mccain-early-years-study-2.pdf

The excellent 40 page article linked below is sourced from the  Australian Journal of Early Childhood 30(2), 29-39

The authors are Associate Professor Margaret Sims, Dr Andrew Guilfoyle and Professor Trevor Parry.

Abstract
The Australian childcare profession has watched with some concern results of research coming out of North America, indicating that child care is not good for children.  This research identifies undesirable outcomes in children’s development and behaviour as a result of child care attendance.  How does this research apply to Australian children in Australian child care centres?  Australian research is limited and this paper reports on results to date of an Australian study of children’s biological stress levels (measured using salivary cortisol) and their relationship with quality child care service delivery.  Results demonstrate clearly that children attending high quality child care have lower stress levels across the day than children attending satisfactory or unsatisfactory programmes.  Poor quality child care is not good for children.

Click on this link to see the pdf file:  what-childrens-cortisol-levels-tell-us-about-quality.pdf

The link below is Miriams’ pick for March 07

Skill Formation & the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children
Author: James J. Heckman
Source: www. sciencemag.org 30 June 2006

The paper linked below summarizes evidence on the effects of early environments on child, adolescent & adult acheivement. Life cycle skill formation is a dynamic process in which early inputs strongly affect the productivity of later inputs.
Valuing Prevention