Link between day care and acting up isn't so clear, kindergarten teachers say.

Byline: Ann Doss Helms

CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Aggressive. Defiant. Disobedient.

Working parents across the nation shuddered when those labels appeared in recent headlines, describing children who spent their early years in child care. A researcher for a major national study said children who stayed home with their mothers showed fewer behavior problems when they reached kindergarten.

The headlines startled some of the sponsors and researchers involved with the National Institute of Child Health and Development study, too. Jay Belsky, a University of London professor working with the long-term study of early childhood, reported his findings to the news media before submitting them for peer review, a process in which fellow academics decide whether the methods and findings are valid.

Fellow researchers have questioned his interpretation. The numbers he presented left room for debate _ Belsky reported that bad behavior, which ranged from disobedience to bullying and fighting, was found in 17 percent of the day-care children _ a distinct minority, but higher than the 6 percent among mother-care kids. And even Belsky was quick to say the findings didn't mean kindergartners who act up are budding psychopaths.

But that still leaves parents wondering: Is it true? Do kindergarten teachers cringe when day-care kids come through the door? Are stay-home mothers seeing their sacrifices pay off?

The answers are far from clear, according to Charlotte-area kindergarten teachers and national experts. Trying to fit today's families into simple categories is…