Different Approaches to Childcare T. Green Richland Community College

I chose topic three which is asking different parents about their opinions and option for childcare for their children. All three parents chose different avenues when it came to the care of their child/ children. Certain circumstances dictated why they chose these different options for childcare. Of the options there was a stay at home mother, a student who left her child with relatives, and lastly a couple who chose daycare for their small children. All three options can be good outsources for the parents as well as the children , when the environment is set up for teaching, parent involvement, and good influence for how the child or children behave and are being treated. The stay at home mother of a twenty three month old baby boy, she stated that before the birth of her child and her and her husband discussed the option of her being a stay at home mother for safety reasons, as well as her wanting to really experience motherhood with this being her first child. When asked how this influenced their child’s motor development and language skills they both felt that with her being home she was able to devote all her time to their son. She also stated that when it came time to encourage him to crawl and also to grasp things, she would get on the floor with him, put his hands and feet in the crawling position. She would also entice and or motivate him by putting things in front of him like toys or food to help him want to crawl. This was an effort to ensure that he successfully reached the milestones for his age. As far as language development, she stated that her and her husband tried to always name things as they spoke so that he would associate objects with their name. They also would allow him to watch educational television channels like Sprout and PBS. They were questioned about activities in their home setting; they stated they had informational books as well as toys that lit up with different colors, sounds, and shape, which was a form of sensorimotor play. (Santrock, 2012, p.170) She also said that she tried to make every experience in their home setting a learning experience examples were; when walking up and down stairs counting them as they go, as well as identifying colors on clothing and food items. They were asked what the greatest benefit was, she stated that it was being able to be an apart of his growing process; he said the peace of mind that he was somewhere safe, and the benefit for the child was the security he got. The draw backs they faced were him not being socialized with other kids as well as other adults. The mother stated that he had a lot of people anxiety when it came to unfamiliar faces and felt as if he was sheltered, and this made it particularly hard to get babysitters for them. Lastly, they were asked would they do it again the same way if they had another child and the father said he don’t think so, that way his wife could have time to her self-verses bearing this responsibility all day long, because he truly felt as if she ever had a break. The mother replied by saying that she wouldn’t do it again due to circumstances now, and after seeing her son reactions to other children and people she felt that all children needed to be introduced or have different interactions with other children so that the transition into school would be so much easier for the child, parent, and teacher. The second person interviewed was a student, who was also a first time mother as well as single parent who couldn’t afford day care so her only option was to leave her child with relatives. She thought this choice influenced her child in a positive way for the following reason; it put her mind at ease because she heard how neglectful childcare facilities can be when it comes to understaffing and low income child care facilities. With statics showing that lower income families are more likely to receive poor childcare this is why a lot of parents chose family member’s because you can also receive adequate care in a family setting as well (Cabrera, Hutchens, & Peters, p. 119). Ethnicity also came into play when it came to this young ladies situation, statics show that African Americans are more likely to have single-parent homes as well as more interaction with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and distant relatives than do White children (Liu & others, p.166). She also stated that leaving her child with family member’s meant a more flexible schedule for time to study. She had a multitude of family member’s to ask for help if someone was not available and they all knew her circumstances when it came to finances. The only drawback was that a few of her relatives smoked so it was hard trying to tell someone in their home what was appropriate verses being in a licensed daycare facility were smoking isn’t prohibited. When it came to growth, motor development, and language she felt like her child was meeting his standards for where he was supposed to be. She credited it to other babies in the family influencing her son to want to crawl, walk, and talk. She then stated that her family were so helpful in his upbringing by listening to things she wanted her child to do while she was away such as, watching educational television, family member’s helping him to count, and them being able to take him to doctors’ appointments and having the knowledge about any or all health issues he had if an emergency came about. The greatest advantage or benefit to her was peace of mind, knowing her son was safe and that there were no stipulations or guidelines she had to follow for him to get approved for good care. When asked about the benefits of leaving her child with relatives she said it was the safety she got from knowing who her child was with, and the one on one attention her child received. The biggest drawback for her was that her family member’s weren’t licensed and therefore didn’t have the background to teach certain things to her son. It was asked if she had the opportunity to do it again would she send her child back to relatives or a licensed facility, she replied she would send her child back to relatives because she thought with her child being family they would actually care more and be much more understanding when it came to his needs . The last parents interviewed chose daycare as their method of care for their children. Both parents worked. The mother thought this would have negative effect on their children but that wasn’t the case, research indicates that what mattered for children’s development was the nature of the parents work rather than whether one or both parents working outside the home (Goldberg & Lucas-Thompson, 2008).The father stated that it was more convenient for them having a set price as well as the reliability factor in a daycare facility. The mother said it was better for her because her children not only got nutritional meals and snacks but were also in a learning environment that would benefit them for school. They both agreed this setting helped their children with language and motor skills because the daycare was set up to be a learning environment for their children they learned color and letter recognition, counting, and social skills that were beneficial for school readiness. The daycare encouraged the children to talk about their, ideas, feelings, and experiences so that they could express themselves in ways other than fighting or throwing temper tantrums, which both parents though was beneficial because they were able to use these behavioral techniques at home. When it came to activities they liked story time because it let their kids explore their imagination. The mother also said she liked that her toddlers took naps, especially with research showing that children who take naps tend to have improved behaviors and mood (Mindell, JA & Owens (2003). They both agreed that the benefits were readiness for school, stable environment, and that their children were more disciplined. The draw back was that their children were susceptible to infections like pink eye, hand, foot, and mouth disease, as well as upper respiratory infections, studies show its high due to infrequent hand washing of staff and children, unsanitary stations such as toilets and diaper stations, as well as high turnover rates for staff which makes frequent or continuous training hard. These parents were asked if they could do it again would different options be taken for childcare, and they both agreed that they would do it the same way but maybe consider a daycare were the ratio of staff to children was different. There are many different options when it comes to childcare, as well as circumstances that dictate what avenue can be taken when it comes to this. Status and environments can also be factors that can determine the proper type of care children a child will receive. For any parent research should be done on all the different types of childcare as to what fits a person needs, as well as the child’s wellbeing. If these strategies are implemented good childcare should follow whether it is a facility, family member, or home setting.

Works Cited
Mindell, JA & Owens (2003). A Clinical Guide to Pediatric Sleep : Diagnosis and Managment of Sleep Problems. Phildelphia: Lippencott Williams & Wilkins.
Santock, J. W. (2012). Essentials Of Life-Span Develpment. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.