Childcare
I am wondering about childcare. More specifically I want to
know if it is better for children to be raised at home by a parent or if it is
better for them to attend some type of daycare/preschool?
I have been a stay at home dad for the last two years and a
full time student. I began watching my son Andrew full time when he was about one
and a half years old. After about a year of this my wife and I decided we
should put him in daycare to let him learn social skills and to give me some
time to get things done. Six months ago we had our second child Adam. My wife
was able to stay home with him for about a month after his birth and I have
been watching him for the last five months along with watching Andrew 3 days a
week.
I will complete my studies in December and will then be
looking for employment. When I get a job both kids will need to be in
daycare/preschool five days a week. Is this good or bad for them? What, if any,
are the effects of attending daycare/preschool vs. being raised at home by a parent?
One of the reasons we only send Andrew to school two days a
week is that we really cannot afford to send him any more than that. Childcare
is expensive. For me to be able send both of our children to daycare/preschool
full time I need to have a well-paying job or it is not worth it to send them,
or is it?
I am sure there is a ton of information out there on this
subject. This is a question that most parents have at some point and I am sure
you can get an opinion from each and everyone one of them on the subject. I am
sure that you can find research papers on the subject and doctors will always
give you there opinion. I simple Google search for the term "home care or daycare" brings up 7,860,000 results. These hits are from well known sources such as the The New York Times and completely unknown sources. Everyone has an opinion.
Knowing that I may no longer take care of my children on
daily basis has ultimately led me to the question is this best for them. I
think the answer to that question is an individual one for each family and
depends on factors. As a parent who only wants the best for my children, I will
now explore the childcare so that I can make the best decision for my family
that I can.
Please let me know what your thoughts are on child care. I
would love to hear personal stories about your own experiences.
Sincerely,
Jason
This is an interesting research inquiry, which is definitely relevant to many people. As I don't have kids, I can't weigh in on the debate from a personal perspective. Though one of the reasons I don't have children is the cost; I don't make enough money to support children, including those things like paying for childcare.
ReplyDeleteRather than looking at this issue as either/or, it will be important to consider the range of options. In other words, you might want to re-frame your question as "to what extent does being in childcare/daycare affect a child, and how does this compare to being raised mostly at home (and/or exclusively at home)?"
Finally, the number of hits you got on Google points out how the web is just too broad for academic research. You can start narrowing by looking at the credible web sources I posted on D2L, as well as searching in the library databases brought to you by FRCC.
I sure can see how this is a major concern. As my children grew up we found many care givers manipulating the system. I would recommend staying clear of the husband and wife operations, as they both are licensed to allow additional children. Most cases one of them will still maintain a FT job. I look forward to what you find for Colorado, as I was a resident of California and I had to learn their laws. Keep in mind these are your children and wanting to get them the best care is your right.
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