Are children getting enough sleep at daycare? UBC expert says not likely

University of B.C. sleep expert Dr. Wendy Hall has uncovered a lack of consistent sleep regulations in licensed child-care spaces across Canada.

Published Dec 28, 2024  •  Last updated 6 hours ago  •  3 minute read

University of B.C. researchers say thousands of licensed child-care centres across Canada may not be ensuring that young kids get adequate sleep, which can lead to health problems like obesity and mood disorders. Photo by djedzura /Getty Images/iStockphoto

University of B.C. researchers say thousands of licensed child-care centres across Canada may not be ensuring that young kids get adequate sleep, which can lead to health problems like obesity and mood disorders.

Dr. Wendy Hall, a professor emeritus at UBC and well-known sleep expert, has uncovered a lack of consistent sleep regulations in licensed child-care spaces across Canada.

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In B.C., for example, there are no specific guidelines about the amount of daily sleep, with rules focusing instead on a safe sleep environment such as positioning, equipment safety and prohibited practices.

She said licensed daycare providers in B.C. aren’t trained in how much sleep young children at different stages need.

“Their manual talks about things like children’s well-being and belonging and paying attention to children’s individual needs and all the rest of it. The only problem with it is it says sleep is a pathway to well-being and belonging, but it really doesn’t say anything about what would be an acceptable sleep practice,” Hall said.

As part of her research, Hall asked daycare providers whether they thought they should be discussing how much nap time a child had with the families and about 70 per cent of those interviewed told her that was not part of their job description.

“It really shows there isn’t a lot of guidance out there,” she said.

A spokesperson for B.C.’s Health Ministry confirmed the government doesn’t include the amount of time a child should sleep in its child-care licensing regulation, but only said that’s because “this is not within the current scope of the regulations.”

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Despite being aware of this new research from UBC, the ministry isn’t anticipating any policy changes at this time.

When asked why, the spokesperson didn’t reply.

Health Authorities are responsible for making sure licensed child-care facilities are in compliance with the rules and supporting children’s individual napping needs, the ministry said.

The Canadian Paediatric Society also doesn’t provide specific information on how much sleep a child should be getting at a daycare, something Hall would like to see changed.

However, the society does have recommendations on how much sleep a child needs over a 24-hour period depending on their age.

Source: CPS

Hall said babies may sleep as much as 18 hours a day, multiple times a day, but many of the daycare providers she interviewed said they typically only go down for one nap. Even older infants up to 18 months still need to nap twice a day.

“It is fair to say that most licensed child cares have only one sleep period a day.”

This could be harming a child’s well-being, said Hall, as many centres lack the proper framework to ensure children get adequate, healthy sleep.

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“If they get good sleep duration, it helps them with their behavioural regulation, it helps them with their learning, it helps them with their memory and all of those kinds of things. If they get poor sleep duration, it puts them at risk for a lot of things,” said Hall.

One of the main concerns in young children is obesity, which can lead to other health problems later in life. Studies have shown that toddlers and preschool-aged children that don’t get enough sleep are at a higher risk for obesity. Hall said that’s because of an appetite suppressing hormone.

“What happens with kids that don’t get enough sleep is the appetite enhancing hormone becomes more prevalent,” she said.

While diabetes and hypertension have been linked to sleep deprivation in adults, with younger children it can also lead to mood disorder and aggressive behaviour, said Hall.

Hall said other provinces like Ontario and Quebec have updated their daycare regulations to includes guidelines on how much sleep a child should receive but not B.C.

“If (daycare providers) don’t have that education in their background, it’s unreasonable to expect them to know all the ins-and-outs of the developmental stages of children and what sleep they need or would benefit them,” she said.

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Hall acknowledged that it can be a challenge for daycare providers to get a child to sleep for the recommended amount of time, which is why she believes there needs to be more standardization on best practices across Canada.

She said the issue of sleep and early learning may seem like a low priority for government, but she would like to see that change given the serious health problems that can occur.

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