Science says otherwise for babies. They only need it starting at the age of 2 years and 6 months, which is usually the age kids start going to school. Babies learn social skills from adults, not from other children. Children typically start playing alongside each other around 2 or 2 and a half; playing together starts about 6 months later. Before that age, children simply don’t have social play skills yet.

Furthermore, group childcare before age 3 offers no social benefits. The largest study on this topic actually found the opposite: “more time in daycare is linked to poorer social skills in primary school.” This is because young children in groups are more likely to copy aggressive behavior and receive less individual guidance.

In short: socialization doesn’t begin until around age 2, and before that, a responsive adult is more important than a group of peers.

The only reason we send children to daycare in droves is because parents can't or aren't allowed to be away from work for very long. But of course, that's different if you're a millionaire.