Parents looking for the lowdown on daycares and elementary schools may have the opportunity to find out online what other parents think of their children's experiences, thanks to a planned new website.

The Shorty List is now accepting reviews from parents in Metro Vancouver with a launch expected this fall. The searchable site, aimed at parents of preschoolers but designed for parents of children up to 12, will also include test scores, class statistics and satisfaction surveys, according to founder Karen Young Chester.

"The site is intended to collate all points of view, from families with experience to new parents with questions to staff perspectives," said Young Chester in a release.

The website is theshortylist. ca and reviews are now being accepted, anonymously if necessary.

via www.theprovince.com

The harm caused to children when their mothers return to work in the first year of life is cancelled out by the benefits of being employed, a controversial new study has found.

Findings from US research which tracked more than 1,000 infants from birth to age seven reignited the fraught debate over the impact on young children whose mothers work long hours.  

Researchers found that babies brought up by mothers who resumed full-time work before they turned one tended to do worse in ability tests – a disadvantage that persisted into primary school.

But those negative effects disappeared when the researchers took into account the benefits of having a job, such as higher earnings, it was claimed.

Working mothers were also more likely to use good quality childcare because they could shop around for the best providers, the study found.

And, controversially, they showed greater 'maternal sensitivity' – or responsiveness towards their children – than stay-at-home mothers.

These 'indirect' benefits aided children's development, balancing the downsides of full-time work, the researchers said.

The 'overall effect' of mothers working during their child's first year was 'neutral', according to researchers at Columbia University.

But the study also found that the positive effects of working depended on mothers finding high quality childcare and being skilled parents while not at work.

via www.dailymail.co.uk