A 2001 article by Nancy W. Wiltz in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly journal said that the quality of the center based child care can be very influential on the child and on their overall development. Recent study showed that children in low end classrooms saw the activities as forced while the children in high end classrooms had more memorable experiences. Wiltz said that, not only is this age crucial for the improvement of their social skills, but also it begins the stages of understanding a classroom setting. These early ages of the child's life are crucial or it would otherwise have a negative impact on their future paths. Wiltz said that by 2001, in the United States, childcare had become an important aspect of society with more than "thirteen million American children under 5 years of age experiencing some form of child care before entering formal school."