Background:

Growth and development reflect the child's health condition. Currently, child care is supported in daycare centers. In this context, this article aimed to identify the differences in growth and psychomotor development in children according to their attendance at daycare centers.

Methods:

We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study in children aged 25 to 48 months. Two groups were identified: 68 children attended daycare, and 68 children did not attend daycare. Growth was assessed with weight-for-height curves, and psychomotor development was evaluated with the child developmental assessment instrument (psychosocial, language, psychomotor, and cognitive area). The X2 test was used for statistical analysis.

Results:

The percentage of daycare children with ideal weight was higher than those not attending in daycare (p = 0.035). Psychomotor development was significantly higher in daycare children: in the psychosocial (p = 0.000), language (p = 0.000), motor (p = 0.000), and cognitive development (p = 0.000) areas.

Conclusions:

The psychomotor development of children attending daycare centers is superior to that of children not in daycare centers.