Daycare Today
Paper 3
11/6/12
Childcare Today In this day and age childcare has become a key component to allow both parents to continue to provide and remain in the work force but this luxury comes at a high cost. According to USA Today, nearly 80% of children by the age of four will spend time in a daycare center (Szabo). Quality childcare offers many benefits for children of all ages in the present and in their future like social and cognitive development skills, early learning and a structured schedule. There are also concerns when it comes to childcare like safety and cost. Childcare centers offer many beneficial perks for the child and also for the parent. According to Babycenter.com quality centers employ staff members who have been trained in early childhood education, so they are prepared with the right skills to know what to expect from your child developmentally. They also mention that good daycare centers will offer a variety of activities for the children to engage in such as singing, dancing and storytelling. A child interacting with other children provides a great way for them to develop social skills (Daycare Center). According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care found that children at the age of four spending more than 30 hours a week in a daycare center became demanding and aggressive. Throughout this study as they tracked the children they found that by the time these same children reached third grade they scored higher in math and reading and the aggressive behavior had dissipated. They also mentioned that the aggressive behavior reported was still in normal range for the age of four, and it should not be cause for alarm. Sociologist at Stanford and the University of California found that cognitive skills in math and reading were strongest when a child entered a center-based program between the ages of two and three (Lewin). These studies show evidence that there are many beneficial
11/6/12
Childcare Today In this day and age childcare has become a key component to allow both parents to continue to provide and remain in the work force but this luxury comes at a high cost. According to USA Today, nearly 80% of children by the age of four will spend time in a daycare center (Szabo). Quality childcare offers many benefits for children of all ages in the present and in their future like social and cognitive development skills, early learning and a structured schedule. There are also concerns when it comes to childcare like safety and cost. Childcare centers offer many beneficial perks for the child and also for the parent. According to Babycenter.com quality centers employ staff members who have been trained in early childhood education, so they are prepared with the right skills to know what to expect from your child developmentally. They also mention that good daycare centers will offer a variety of activities for the children to engage in such as singing, dancing and storytelling. A child interacting with other children provides a great way for them to develop social skills (Daycare Center). According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care found that children at the age of four spending more than 30 hours a week in a daycare center became demanding and aggressive. Throughout this study as they tracked the children they found that by the time these same children reached third grade they scored higher in math and reading and the aggressive behavior had dissipated. They also mentioned that the aggressive behavior reported was still in normal range for the age of four, and it should not be cause for alarm. Sociologist at Stanford and the University of California found that cognitive skills in math and reading were strongest when a child entered a center-based program between the ages of two and three (Lewin). These studies show evidence that there are many beneficial
Cited: 2011: 4 Nov. 2012. www.chicagotribune.com Burrell, Diana 29 Sept. 2006: 4 Nov. 2012. www.cnn.com. Daycare Centers: Advantages and Disadvantages. June 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. Fox, Emily Jane. “Childcare Cost Exceed Rent in Most States.” CNN Money 16 Aug. 2012: 4 Nov Illinois Action For Children. 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.actforchildren.com. Johnston, Susan, “Dealing With the Rising Cost of Childcare.” US News 4 Sept. 2012: 4 Nov. 2012 Programs and Curriculums. Kindercare Learning Centers 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. Matters 15 Feb. 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.healthland.com. Shaffer, Rick. “Containing the Cost of Childcare.” Parenthood.com Apr. 2003: 4 Nov. 2012. www.parenthood.com