2 Week Assignment
Roland Agustin, Jr.
SOC312: Child Family & Society
Greg Thomas
04/25/2011
Non parental child care or day care, refers to the care given to children by persons other
than parents during the parts of the day when parents are absent (Berns, 2010). According to
statistics, more than 60 percent of children from 0 to 6 are in some type of non parental
childcare. There are three different types of day care: a) In-home care. b) Family day care. c)
Center-based care. This paper will describe all three types of non parental child care and will
discuss the effects of non parental child care on a childs psychological, social and cognitive
development.
An in-home day care is non parental care in the childs own home by an individual such
as a relative. When a child is at home it gives them a sense of security and familiarity. The idea
of a child receiving more attention is one of the attractions to this type of non parental child care.
The childcare provider in this environment may not be highly educated or trained in child care.
In-home day cares have no regulations related to the type of care provided to the children so
planned activities are probably minimal and there is no socializing with other children.
Many moms who prefer to stay at home with their children will start a family day care in
their homes. They enjoy taking care of children and it earns income which contributes to the
family finances. Women will choose this because they want to stay home with their child and as
mentioned it helps to play a role in paying the bills. According to a 1996 report by the National
Center for Education Statistics, home day cares (and probably many more that arent regulated)
provide care for 14 percent of the more than 21 million U.S. children under six, making home
day care the third most popular option after center care and in-home care.
(www.babycenter.com, 2010). The care giver in this environment may have some training which
could lead to some planned activities.
Day care centers and nursery schools provide child care in a group setting. There are
planned activities and children are usually grouped by age. Day care centers are licensed to
provide care of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The state in which the day care center is
located has specific licensing requirements group that child care centers must meet in order to be
licensed to offer child care. Care givers in center based care may be better educated and may
have received specialized training. Children in center based care are usually given a planned
curriculum and the children have plenty of opportunities to interact with other children to learn
social skills. This type of care is typically the most expensive.
Two new studies in the journal Child Development found evidence that suggests the
longer a child spends in child care, the more stress they may experience, and that could lead to
them becoming more aggressive and disobedient (Neal, 2010).
The first study was conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, found that those who spend long hours in child care may experience more stress
and are at increased risk of becoming overly aggressive and developing other behavior problems.
The second study was conducted by the Institute of Child Development at the University
of Minnesota. This study found that children younger than three has high levels of cortisol, a
hormone associated with stress, rose in the afternoon during full days they spent in day care, but
feel when they got home.
On the flip side there have been studies that show children who have spent long hours in
child care maintain higher scores in reading and math than other children. Day care can be an
opportunity for a child to learn social skills, expand their vocabulary and learn to function
independently away from their parents.
Although there have been many studies about the effects on the children who spend time
in non parental child care the quality of the child care also plays a part in this equation. The day
care should have a low staff to child ratio. Teachers should show genuine care for the children
and have experience and training in child development and psychology.
References
Roberta M. Berns (2010). Child, Family, School, Community, Socialization, and Support. (8th
ed.) Belmont, CA Cenage Learning.
Home daycare: Overview (2010). Retrieved 04/25/2011
http://www.babycenter.com/0_home-daycare-overview_46.bc
Neal, R. (2003). The Negative Effects Of Childcare?, Retrieved 04/25/2011
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/16/earlyshow/living/parenting/main563639.s
html