Not every mother or father wants, or can afford, to stay at home with the children. Because of this, approximately 34.9 percent of kids were enrolled in some form of non-relative child care, or daycare, as of spring 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Some parents worry that these kids will be at a disadvantage, but daycare can actually be beneficial for children.
Types
Not all daycare situations are created equally. There are home daycare settings and center-based daycares, each with their advantages and disadvantages. Home daycares tend to be smaller than centers and less expensive. However, the quality of care can vary greatly. Some are licensed and others are more like babysitters.
Centers must be licensed, which means they have set minimum standards that must be met. They tend to be larger, which sometimes means your child will get less individual attention and will be exposed to more illnesses.
Whichever option you choose, make sure that the caregivers are licensed by the state, as this will require them to meet emergency service standards, such as child CPR and first aid, as well as having passed a background test. The setting is not the only thing that matters, the quality of care and the amount of time that children are placed in daycare also determines whether it is beneficial.
Benefits
Besides offering a solution to the problem of who will watch your children while you are working, daycare also offers other benefits, according to KidsGrowth.com. Your child will have the full attention of the daycare providers and get a chance to be more independent. He will also have a routine to follow and be able to socialize with other children around his age.
Theories/Speculation
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, or NICHD, has been conducting a Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. This NICHD has shown that children in high-quality day care situations have higher levels of academic and cognitive development, even years later as they enter high school. They were also a little bit less likely to act out.
Considerations
Although high-quality interaction with caregivers is one of the reasons why the NICHD thinks those attending child care centers got beneficial results, not all attention is good. Another study, in 2010, led by Megan Gunnar of the University of Minnesota, showed that children in child care situations where the providers were very controlling and didn't allow them much time for free play were likely to have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Usually these centers focused too much on rote learning.
Prevention/Solution
The NICHD recommends that you look into the quality of the child care center you are considering. Check out whether the center is accredited, and whether they have been certified, licensed or listed by the local government, as these are good indicators of quality. Other information to look into includes the child-to-caregiver ratio, the education and training of the child care providers and the overall size of the daycare.
References
- Kids Growth: Are There Benefits to Daycare?
- Reuters: Study Shows Consistent Benefit of Early Daycare
- U.S, Census Bureau: Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements
- National Institute of Child Health & Human Development: Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD)
- National Institute of Child Health & Human Development: Findings for Children up to Age 4 1/2 Years
