# Age at starting group care

**At what age should a child start daycare?**

How old your child is when they start spending time in group care, from under six months to not until preschool.

In short: Parents choose between 5 main approaches: Under 6 months; 6-12 months; 12-18 months; 2-3 years; Not until preschool. Evidence: experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. Best settled: during pregnancy.

- Area: Childcare and early learning
- Evidence: Experts disagree
- Best settled: During pregnancy
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/childcare-and-early-learning--age-at-starting-group-care

## Age at starting group care: what are the options?

1. **Under 6 months**: The baby starts before six months.
2. **6-12 months**: The baby starts between six and twelve months.
3. **12-18 months**: The child starts between twelve and eighteen months.
4. **2-3 years**: The child starts at two or three.
5. **Not until preschool**: The child has no group care before preschool.

## Age at starting group care: what does the evidence say?

**Experts disagree.** Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. (Contested at the margins)

Tiny negative behavior signals for very early, long-hours care and small cognitive gains after about 18 months, per Oster's summary

Sources:

- [ParentData, summary only](https://parentdata.org/day-care-bad-children/)

## What else is worth knowing?

Often this is decided by when leave ends. Research on starting age gives mixed results, and the quality of the care matters most. Babies in group care do catch more colds in the first year.

## Questions to ask each other

- When do we each think is the right age?
- What does our leave and budget allow?
- What would make us start sooner or later?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=childcare-and-early-learning&topic=childcare-and-early-learning--age-at-starting-group-care