Mother/Infant/Child | Articles
Researchers report that children in daycare do not seem to suffer significant detrimental effects, provided they are placed in a high quality daycare and they have a supportive home life. Children who received quality care were able to form secure attachments to their parents and perform well in school. Even parents themselves appeared to benefit by learning skills from the childcare providers.
Researchers defined quality care as being nurturing, dependable and supportive of language and learning. The most important factor for quality care was the ratio of children to caregiver -the fewer the better. Caregiver education level and positive beliefs about children were also seen as factors. Unfortunately, researchers report that finding childcare of high-quality is difficult and that only half of those in daycare received such care.
But regardless of whether or not the child has been in daycare, the most important factor in a child’s outcome remains the quality of his or her home life.
Again and again it is the parent and home they provide for the child that is the most significant factor for good child development. If you are one of the 50% that find this quality daycare, then you are way ahead of most of us. The key is daycare can be a compliment but not the answer to a good home life.
God Bless,
Dr. Benzinger
