Childcare
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Caring for Children |
| At Home |
| Parents, Extended family, Babysitter, Au Pair, Nanny |
| Outside the Home |
| Daycare, Childminder, Playgroup |
| Educational Settings |
| Early childhood education, Kindergarten |
| Institutions and Standards |
| Child protection, In loco parentis, Minor (law) |
| Related |
| Orphanage, Child Abuse, Family law |
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Childcare, child care, or babycare is the act of caring for and supervising minor children. (In Australia, daycare is referred to as "childcare".)
Child care is a broad topic covering a wide spectrum of contexts, activities, social and cultural conventions, and institutions.
Contents |
[edit] Childcare roles
It is traditional in western society for children to be looked after by one or both of their parents. In many families (and almost exclusively so in some communities), the childcare role is taken on by the extended family. One of the challenges for parents who choose to use other sources of childcare is finding and affording qualified providers.
The need or preference for two-job households means that childcare is often delegated to childminders or crèches on a full-time or part-time basis. An option that often keeps children in a home setting is the use of a nanny or an au pair.
Most western countries also have compulsory education during which children are at school starting from five or six years of age. The school will act in loco parentis meaning "in lieu of parent supervision".
Where parents are missing, dead, unable or unfit to care for children, state agencies such as social services may take on the childcare role.
[edit] Effects on Child Development
For many, the use of paid childcare is a matter of choice with arguments on both sides about whether this is beneficial or harmful to children.
The first few years of a child's life are important to form a basis for good education, morality, self-discipline and social integration. Consistency of approach, skills and qualifications of careers have been shown in many studies to improve the chances of a child reaching his or her full potential. However, the choice of childcare can be extremely difficult, even traumatic for parents. Social scientists have recently started drawing on popular folktales such as urban legends in order to uncover some of the complex socio-psychological elements in the decision, which is often more protracted and involved for middle-class parents[1]. Here it is also possible to see the influence of older story-telling elements such as Grimm's Fairy Tales where children learn about the dangers of allowing strangers into the home.
For example, a recent study in Australia[2] concluded that centers run by corporate chains provided the lowest quality care when compared to community-based providers and independent private centers.
In many locales, government is responsible for monitoring the quality of care. For instance, in Scotland Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is responsible for improving care and education for children from birth to eighteen. This is implemented by inspections carried out by HMIe itself or by other members of inspection and review teams. Inspection reports include feedback from staff and parents as well as the inspectors, aiming to provide parents and carers information to help them decide whether a particular child care setting is providing good quality child care and meeting government standards.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
Both childcare and child care are common, acceptable spellings. However child care is the preferred spelling in accordance with AP Style.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Robin Croft (2006), Folklore, families and fear: understanding consumption decisions through the oral tradition, Journal of Marketing Management, 22:9/10, pp1053-1076, ISSN 0267-257X
- ^ 2006, Rush, The Australia Institute http://www.tai.org.au/documents/downloads/DP84.pdf
- ^ "Childproof Your Home!". Published by VeryTogether.com Published April 03, 2009. http://verytogether.com/family/babies/childproof-your-home.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-20.
[edit] External links
- Childcare at the Open Directory Project
- Totkare
- Child Care Quality: An Overview for Parents - From the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.
- Information and Child Care resources from the United Kingdom's National Institute of Childcare and Education
- Research on Topics in Child Care & Early Education from the Child Care and Early Education Research Connections Project.
- [1] The UK's specialist awarding body for Childcare qualifications
- Childcare.co.uk Childcare search engine for the UK
- Guide to Child Care For pregnant mothers and parents of infants, young children, and teenagers
- Child Safety and Concerns Articles and important information on Child Safety concerns.
- Peter S Cook Views on the effects of childcare from retired Sydney psychiatrist Peter S Cook
- Childcare Matters A dedicated childcare website run by freelance journalist James Tweed.
