For many parents, day care is a necessary part of family life. Putting children into day care enables them to go back to work or school. The demand for day care has risen as more and more families now have two working parents. What is a day care center, and what should parents know before sending their children to one?
Defintion
A day care center (also known as a child care center) is an establishment where children go to be taken care of by adults who are not their parents or legal guardians. The children may be of any age, though most kids in day care are infants through preschool age. Some day care centers have options for school-age children. The Bureau of Labor states that many centers are open for 12 or more hours per day, including holidays.
Types of Day Care
A day care center is different from home day care, which a day care provider runs in her home, and from family day care, in which a nanny or babysitter comes to the family's home to watch the children. Day care centers may be nonprofit or for profit, and may be in schools, churches, play centers or separate facilities used only for day care. They vary widely in their activities for children; some have an educational component and some focus on play.
Licensing
In most states, any day care center that enrolls 12 or more children must be licensed. This licensing ensures that some basic rules are met, such as an acceptable provider-to-child ratio and an adherence to health standards. Licensing requirements vary from state to state.
Age of Day Care Workers
State laws and insurance regulations dictate age and training requirements for day care staff members. The Bureau of Labor notes, "Although requirements vary, in most cases a minimum age of 18 years is required for teachers, and directors or officers must be at least 21. In some states, assistants may work at age 16---in several, at age 14."
Training
Most states have educational requirements that are more stringent for directors and teachers and less stringent for child care workers and assistants. Directors and teachers often have a degree in early childhood education. About 44 percent of day care workers had a high school degree or less in 2008. In some states, day care staff members are also required to have training in first aid, fire safety and child abuse detection.
