Daycare pseudoscience: the evidence doesn't back the panic

Commentators on the right claim daycare traumatizes children, while politicians on the left tout it as a cure-all. But the evidence for both extremes is weak. Studies show daycare has little lasting impact on children's outcomes, except for a small benefit to disadvantaged kids that fades by elementary school. The cortisol stress argument is overblown, and the famous Perry and Abecedarian projects involved intensive interventions, not typical daycare. The real harm may be the anxiety and guilt these claims cause parents.