Should I Put My Child in Daycare?

Parents who hesitate to place their children in day care facilities may worry that the kids will suffer emotionally from the hours away from home and in the hands of virtual strangers. Caregivers and other parents may point out that quality child care centers provide excellent care, afford important socialization experiences and give kids a leg up academically.

Positive Effects

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that children who spend their parents' workdays in quality day care centers are more likely to achieve academically than peers who are baby-sat by individuals or are cared for in home day cares. The institute says that for many children the stimulating environment provided by centers is superior to that found in their own homes. This is because day care centers frequently provide structured activities that spark learning and imagination. According to a report in the New York Times, these children are also housed in an environment that is safer than if they were in the care of a baby-sitter or in a private home day care.

Negative Effects

Though children who spent time in day care facilities typically wind up doing better academically than many who were not in those facilities, the National Institute of Health also contends these children have more behavioral problems. Surprisingly, these same children are reported to have inferior work habits to their peers and substandard social skills.

Misconceptions

Parents often assume the teachers in day care centers are highly educated individuals who are specially trained to provide children with excellent care. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. Most child care providers are not required to a degree in early childhood development, are generally underpaid and receive only a minimal amount of training in how to properly care for young children.

Warning

Families must be cognizant of changes in a child's attitude and behavior while the child is attending a child care center, because these changes may indicate a problem with her care. Parents should look for causes when a child becomes aggressive or disobedient, as these are changes that occur in many children who are cared for in formal facilities.

Expert Insight

Though time spent in child care facilities can affect a child's academic and emotional well being, experts believe these effects pale in comparison to the way the child is raised by his parents. Cathryn Booth-LaForce is a researcher with the University of Washington who reports that parents should worry less about the effects of day care on their children's development and realize parenting is much more important.