Tuesday, April 25, 2006
There are a number of myths about child care that prevent a lot of rational discussion about the future of this profession. It is time to put these myths to rest so that we can have a national discussion based upon what the evidence-based research on child care actually says. I come now not to praise these child-care myths, but to bury them.
1 Non-parental child care is bad for kids. More than 30 years of research in many countries, have determined that good quality child-care programs have positive short-term and long-term effects on child development, school readiness and school success. These positive effects are even more pronounced with children who are vulnerable or have special needs.
2 Child care is really "substitute" or "institutionalized" or "government-run" child care that undermines the family.
Non-parental child care is a family support program that supplements the care children receive in their families, but does not substitute for the family. These supports include programs and information on child health and nutrition; screening for developmental delays and interventions for children with special needs. Good quality child care is offered by a wide range of community-based organizations (churches, the YWCA, parent co-operatives, etc.) that are neither "institutionalized" nor "government-run."
3 We have to choose between "funding the child" and "funding a child-care system." We can't have both. There is no contradiction between offering enhanced family allowances and also funding a system of quality child-care services. Like all other industrialized countries, we can and should do both; but unlike other industrialized countries we put much less of our national wealth into our child and family benefits packages.
4 Child care is only for the poor, or only for working parents, or only for middle-class or wealthy parents who can afford it anyhow.
The research has shown that good quality child care has cognitive and social benefits for all children and parents regardless of income levels and parental work and study patterns. Despite the prevalent and powerful mythologies, good quality child care is not a welfare service for poor families nor is it government-sponsored baby sitting for tennis-playing moms; it is a family support system from which all families and children benefit.
5 Most working mothers would prefer to stay at home.
Over the past 50 years, the percentage of mothers in the paid labor force (they may be working from home) has doubled to more than 72 per cent without any substantive increase in licensed child-care services. Women enter the paid labor force —surprise, surprise — for the same reasons that men do: to earn money, to have a career, to contribute to the public good, to have fulfilling lives, etc. There is no research that I know of that demonstrates the readiness of large numbers of working mothers — or working fathers, for that matter — to abandon their studies, careers and incomes to stay at home nor are there any demonstrated social policies that reverse this major societal shift of the past 50 years.
6. Mothers not staying home with their children has helped erode "family values".
Parents are—and will continue to be—the determining factor for young children in the transmission of values. By this, we mean that children’s values are overwhelmingly influenced by their parents, even when those children attend full-day child care. Children bond at an early age with their parents and take important cues from them on how to interact with the greater world around them.
7. Children need full time maternal care when they are young to thrive.
While it is true that poor quality child care may contribute to negative effects; the evidence also shows that good quality care benefits children. There is considerable evidence, especially from early intervention studies,that good quality child care can play an important role in protecting children from family-based risk. For instance, good quality child care appears to lessen the negative effects of poverty and maternal depression on the development of infants and older pre-schoolers
8. The quality of child care doesn't have much impact on a child's development.
Parents who feel this way are sadly mistaken. A child grows immensely in his/her younger years. Childcare programs play an unparallel role in school readiness, the development, and future success of a child.
9. There are no skills required for operating a Family Child Care
At a minimum, a family child care Owner/Operator must posses: a love for children, patience, and the ability to run a business. In addition to these skills, each states has requirements that must be met before licensing and/or registration is granted. At a minimum, these invaluable skills include First Aid CPR, Safe Food Handling Practices, and Child Abuse Prevention, which not only enhance the providers ability to provide quality childcare, but also gives guidance and knowledge in rearing their own children.
And my favorite:
10. Family Child Care is Babysitting
For those who deem offering childcare as merely babysitting, think again. Childcare is a business, that requires the owner/operator to: set rules and polices; organize their day; create a business plan; use written contracts, authorizations and agreements; offer activities, a nurturing environment, meals and meet the basic needs of the children in their care.
Can you think of any more myths that need to be brought up? It is only by clearing away the distractions of these myths that we can begin to move ahead and plan programs and policies that will support the lives of all children and families
