The Impact of Daycare on Infants
The Impact of Daycare on Infants
55% of American mothers now return to work by the time their children are one years old -- out of either financial, professional, or personal necessity. In today’s society, there are concerns as to whether attending daycare during infancy produces negative or positive effects on the development of children. Many of these concerns are influenced by the fear that separating an infant from its mother may cause emotional harm to the child or disrupt the mother-infant bond. No study finds that children of employed mothers suffer solely because their mothers are working. Research has shown that mothers who work spend as much time playing with their babies as do mothers without outside jobs (Huston & Aronson, 2005). It has also been questioned as to whether home-based maternal care or nonrelatives day-care provide the child with more opportunity to develop cognitively and socially (Belsky and Steinberg 1978, Field 1991, Lamb 1996, Peisner-Feinberg et al. 2001). There has been research that has found positive effects of day-care on children’s social and cognitive development and suggests that perhaps child-care centers encourage more social interaction than the environment of a home-reared child. There may be more stimulation in day-care and more communication and sharing to be learned, therefore enhancing these abilities of the children who attend them (Peisner-Feinberg et al. 2001). Evidence shows that a good preschool education is beneficial to young children. Children who attend preschool have a head start when they begin elementary school having learned basic concepts in a preschool center. Some of the negative effects a child may experience while attending a child care center include high child to adult ratios, insufficient materials and equipment, staff with inadequate training and experience, and caregiver burnout. There are truly some wonderful and caregivers and daycares out there. Choosing the best one is a very
55% of American mothers now return to work by the time their children are one years old -- out of either financial, professional, or personal necessity. In today’s society, there are concerns as to whether attending daycare during infancy produces negative or positive effects on the development of children. Many of these concerns are influenced by the fear that separating an infant from its mother may cause emotional harm to the child or disrupt the mother-infant bond. No study finds that children of employed mothers suffer solely because their mothers are working. Research has shown that mothers who work spend as much time playing with their babies as do mothers without outside jobs (Huston & Aronson, 2005). It has also been questioned as to whether home-based maternal care or nonrelatives day-care provide the child with more opportunity to develop cognitively and socially (Belsky and Steinberg 1978, Field 1991, Lamb 1996, Peisner-Feinberg et al. 2001). There has been research that has found positive effects of day-care on children’s social and cognitive development and suggests that perhaps child-care centers encourage more social interaction than the environment of a home-reared child. There may be more stimulation in day-care and more communication and sharing to be learned, therefore enhancing these abilities of the children who attend them (Peisner-Feinberg et al. 2001). Evidence shows that a good preschool education is beneficial to young children. Children who attend preschool have a head start when they begin elementary school having learned basic concepts in a preschool center. Some of the negative effects a child may experience while attending a child care center include high child to adult ratios, insufficient materials and equipment, staff with inadequate training and experience, and caregiver burnout. There are truly some wonderful and caregivers and daycares out there. Choosing the best one is a very