The effects of an improved residential nursery on the development of young Japanese children

The author, acting both as a researcher and a staff member, intervened at the residential nursery to facilitate the development of the children. The main goal of the intervention was to establish attachment relations between infants and their caretakers. The living environment of the institution simultaneously improved with the home-like atmosphere of small group care. Children's developmental status was examined before and after the intervention. The improved organization of the nursery was significantly correlated with the social (fear of stranger) and verbal (single word; first sentence) development of infants. This study showed how to facilitate normal development in children by improving residential nursery life. The results of two follow-up surveys in family-like residential nurseries, conducted independently in Germany and Japan, showed that early negative family experiences may be offset by favorable influences later in life, even at institutions. These findings suggests that quality of substitute care and family-like conditions, rather than residential care itself, may be the more important influences on children.