Mark Ware

Child 210
Kyla Whann

Child, Family, Community Chapter 5 Response

Child-care, or day-care, is defined as any care which is administered by an individual that

isn’t a parent, whether it is in-home care or an institutional setting. Child-care may significantly

affect children socially, emotionally, and cognitively. In many instances child-care programs

bring solid benefits, but there are also some challenges and potential negatives. In order to create

the most effective learning, growing, and socializing environment, parents and child-care centers

alike must employ nurturing, responsible, empathetic and professional care-givers for the

children.

Child-care can begin as early as birth, and the timing of the consideration is often

influenced by a parent’s need or desire to return to work. “Approximately 80% of children age 5

and younger with employed mothers are in a child-care arrangement for an average of almost 40

hours.” (Child, Family, Community pg 179). As can be expected, children in child-care

experience an entirely different level of socialization and development than a child who spends a

majority of their time solely with a parental figure. “Children who have had experience in a

child-care program seem to be more socially competent than those who have not had such an

experience. They are more self-confident, more outgoing, and less fearful.” Therefore it is

reasonable to conclude that a child-care setting might assist the child in becoming more

independent, socially outgoing, problem-solving, empathetic to others’ perspectives, as well as

being more centrally educated in the mechanisms of inter-personal activity.

The potential for negative effects in child-care mostly can be ascribed to apathy on the

part of care-givers: symptoms are mostly found in child-care centers that are over-crowded and
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Child 210
Kyla Whann

under-staffed; or where there is a fluid staff that doesn’t stay around long enough for a child to

gain a sense of trust, stability, or comfort; or where there are under-paid and ill-qualified care-

givers. In such facilities as these, often the environment simply isn’t a stable foundation for a

child’s development. When teachers are overwhelmed and under-paid, their performance suffers.

Oftentimes to obtain teacher’s at softer wages, they’re hired without enough proper education for

the sensitive task of caring for children. Poor management, over-crowding, and poorly trained

care-givers all can be real problems in child-care, and it falls on the diligence of the parent to

ensure that their children are receiving care in an constructive place. Care-givers without the

necessary training will not have the ability to nurture and educate in the most effective way.

The main components of optimal quality child-care are affected by the child-to-teacher

ratio, the overall size of the group body, and whether a teacher is an educated and experienced

care-giver. Typically a child-care center that has a low child-to-teacher ratio will be the most

positive and effective setting. In a lower ratio environment, the teachers can employ more of

their time with each child, enhancing their ability to care and nurture individual circumstances.

“As a result, the children were more cooperative, more involved in tasks, more talkative, and

more creative. They also made greater gains on cognitive tasks.” (Child, Family, School,

Community, Socialization and support; Roberta Burns pg 181). The best, and often most

expensive, child-care centers and schools are sure to keep a low ratio of children to teachers in

smaller group environments. They employ a well-compensated, well-educated teaching staff. A

child-care center with a clear educational vision, competent care-givers, and a nurturing and

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Kyla Whann

constructive environment can be a solid building block for a child’s social and intellectual

development.

In conclusion child-care can have a positive or negative impact and is a significant

consideration whether or not the parent must return to work. A child who is put into a child-care

center can become a more socially developed than a child who solely spends time with a parent

figure, although a poor child-care facility might also prove just as regressive. These centers are

over-crowded, under-funded, and carry a high amount of turnover of both teachers and children.

Optimal quality child-care center will employ a low child-to-teacher ratio, a greater level of

professionalism in their care-givers, as well a better managed environment for child development

and growth. All of these different components sum up the positive and negative types of child

care and their effects on socialization.