The investigation focuses on environmental features of day care centers likely to affect emotional and stress reactions of toddlers in group settings. To assess stress reactions, the morning cortisol changes of 113 children (18 to 40 months) were analyzed in eight day care centers. Children's cortisol levels in the centers remained stable between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., whereas at home, as expected, cortisol levels decreased at the same time of day. Children's cortisol changes showed differences among the eight centers, suggesting the influence of environmental factors. Cortisol increases were related to large group sizes (n > 15), important age differences among children (> 6 months), less available area per child in the playrooms (< 5 m2), and unexpectedly, large number of caregivers in the team (> 4 adults). Overall, the findings support the claim that the physical and social attributes of preschool settings intervene in the regulation of children's bioemotional reactions.
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