View Full Version : How much Child Care is too much???
lioness
22 May 2002, 21:39
There has been a lot of talk in the last couple of days about Child Care. I believe the study said that children who spend 30 hours or more per week in Child Care are socially and emotionally worse off than children who spend less time.
My question is, how much time would YOU be prepared to put your kids in care for?
As a child care worker this is an interesting topic for me, I work with a few children who spend more time at creche than I do per day (and I work 7.5 - 8 hours a day)........I wouldn't say that these children are worse off than the others who spend less time, however it does sadden me.
I also don't believe that parents should be made to feel guilty for having to leave their children in care for such long hours, because with the way life is these days, in a few cases it's the only option.
Your thoughts please. :)
I think that this is a very subjective issue. It depends upon the quality of care and variety provided at the care centre in question versus what would be available to the individual child as an alternative.
My view of where education should be headed is that it is homebased with PC lerssons attuned to the childs learning aptitude and capabilities rather than suffer classroom peer pressure where the quicker learners are advantaged. As such the issues of social interaction, sports activities etc become veryu important designs.
There is also the question of quality time spent between child and parents which IMO is exceptionally important but I suspect all too little time even with full time parenting. How many kids are raised on a swag of videos per week?
It is a strange fact of life that over 90% of what we learn in our school years we never use in life but an important subject such as child raising is not in the standard curriculum.
Santos L Helper
22 May 2002, 22:52
Originally posted by Frodo
My view of where education should be headed is that it is homebased with PC lerssons attuned to the childs learning aptitude and capabilities rather than suffer classroom peer pressure where the quicker learners are advantaged. As such the issues of social interaction, sports activities etc become veryu important designs.
It is a strange fact of life that over 90% of what we learn in our school years we never use in life but an important subject such as child raising is not in the standard curriculum.
I think you should find out a little more about 'Constuctivist Classrooms' Frodo.
Jars458
23 May 2002, 09:43
Originally posted by Santos L Helper
I think you should find out a little more about 'Constuctivist Classrooms' Frodo.
Whats a constuctivist?
Someone who is against the use of glue in schools?:D
Pessimistic
23 May 2002, 10:48
Glad to see the recent report is much more indepth than previous ones. I look forward to more details than just enough to provoke a fight between the pros and the antis.
For example farming the little ones out to granparents (who are very likely in their 60's these days) is not seen as 'ideal' either.
Now I'm looking forward to the government and employers working on allowing parents to work 2-3 days per week without going onto sweatshop wages and abandoning career prospects.
It's a huge balancing act. I suppose it's also useful for parents to own a nice family house in a reasonable area (with good schools) - which means $300k at least these days - try paying for that on one salary.
Or you could live 35K from your work and deprive your kids of an extra 2-3 hours per day while you travel to and from work. But you also pay $30k in stamp duty to move house - that would go a long way to a private education.
Not easy so you have your kids in childcare and hope it doesn't impact too much, and hope that these reports can give you guidance rather than sensationalism.
Pessimistic
23 May 2002, 10:51
Those of you who are not yet married, or don't have children, but intend to. I you believe childcare is bad then better start saving now - as there is no way you can get by on one salary, even a 'good' one
Originally posted by Pessimistic
Now I'm looking forward to the government and employers working on allowing parents to work 2-3 days per week without going onto sweatshop wages and abandoning career prospects.
When you find one, let me know would you?
It's a huge balancing act. I suppose it's also useful for parents to own a nice family house in a reasonable area (with good schools) - which means $300k at least these days - try paying for that on one salary.
Which explains why many women are putting off having kids until later in life.
Or you could live 35K from your work and deprive your kids of an extra 2-3 hours per day while you travel to and from work. But you also pay $30k in stamp duty to move house - that would go a long way to a private education.
Tell me about it. I used to work about 20 minutes from home until work moved us into the CBD. I now spend 3 hours a day travelling to and from work (45K) meaning I get to see my son about one and a half hours a day during the week. Grouse.
Not easy so you have your kids in childcare and hope it doesn't impact too much, and hope that these reports can give you guidance rather than sensationalism.
We made a choice that we wouldn't use childcare becuase it was important that one of us be with our son. Having said that, the social interaction he's had at kinder and play group has meant that we're re-assessing whether we'll put our second child into child care for some period so that my wife can go back to work part-time, which is something she wants to do.
It's a hard question, and one that I think doesn't have a "fits all" answer. Some kids will cope better than others the same way some kids are better at maths or art etc.
Jars458
23 May 2002, 12:20
Does anyone know a link to where a copy of the report is available or at least a detailed summary?
Cheers
My concern with these seemingly annual reports from various universities is the nature of the project itself. E.g. How does one measure a child's social and emotional well-being? If we assume one were able to do this, doesn't the report pre-suppose a causal link between perceived outcomes and types of child care?
When my son was born, twenty years ago, my wife and I decided we wanted to have one of us at home for at least the first couple of years. This was a personal choice, and we decided I would be the one to do it. For the first three and a half years of his life I was his primary carer. BTW, the most satisfying, and difficult job I've ever done, with the most unforgiving boss, him.
From what I learnt during this period, I don't think it's so easy to make a definite connection between types of child care and the outcomes detailed in the report. I don't think this type of research takes enough account of individual reactions to various stimuli. The only rule of thumb in child rearing is, you do your best, with no guarantee of success. What is the measure of success in this anyway? No drug addictions, sentenced to ten years in jail instead of fifteen, only assaults every second person? Dunno. Isn't it just possible that some kids are better citizens because of difficulties they have had to overcome in life.?
IMO, what's really going on in this case is that these researchers have hit upon a formula to guarantee themselves the most media exposure possible. Which newspaper in the country wouldn't print these provocative results? They have probably succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, as evidenced by this thread.
Pessimistic
24 May 2002, 17:21
And it's from Melbourne Uni, which strikes me as an 'elitist' organisation from the start.
lioness
24 May 2002, 23:29
Originally posted by skilts
IMO, what's really going on in this case is that these researchers have hit upon a formula to guarantee themselves the most media exposure possible. Which newspaper in the country wouldn't print these provocative results? They have probably succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, as evidenced by this thread.
The point of this thread was to ask real people in the street (or in this case, the internet) what THEIR opinion is about Child Care and their children. Obviously this issue directly affects me in that we already have parents scrutinising our programs and feeling guilt for having to leave their children in care. Which is really what these studies are about. Never mind that the number of children surveyed is the equivalent to about three centres.........hardly conclusive.
Goldenblue
25 May 2002, 23:20
I don't believe in such studies. Stability in a home life is most important for a child or children. I use Child care for my 2 sons for after school for 2 hours a day and it is handy for me to balance my work, my home and family life.
There has been no effects on my children at all and I am pleased with the day care centre they go to.
However, where I do think it is bad is when some parents abuse the system and use it as a cop out for not taking care of their children. For example, I know a woman who has 2 kids and neither of them are at school, she gets them up when she crawls out of bed which is usually about close to lunchtime, sticks a needle in her arm and drives her kids to day care and leave them there till 6pm when the center is ready to close. She does not work and her last job was a checkout girl when she was 15 which lasted 2 weeks. She is now 35.
I have questioned her on this many times and I will honestly say I am disgusted with her and the life she has, but it is not my business to do anything about it. One child does have many problems socially and does not intergrate with the other children at the centre. Her reson for doing this is that she finds it hard to bring up the kids as it is so hard for her. Poor thing. Yes, I am sarcastic.
My opinion is she should never had lied on her back and had kids.
Forgive me, I have gone off the topic.
I am proud of what day care centres do, but I do not agree with studies on time and the effects on kids. It does really come down to the quality of the family and the upbringing the parents give their children. Social engineers need to be shot in my opinion.
Parenting is what is really all it boild down to.
Originally posted by lioness22
The point of this thread was to ask real people in the street (or in this case, the internet) what THEIR opinion is about Child Care and their children. Obviously this issue directly affects me in that we already have parents scrutinising our programs and feeling guilt for having to leave their children in care. Which is really what these studies are about. Never mind that the number of children surveyed is the equivalent to about three centres.........hardly conclusive.
I hope you don't think that anything I wrote, in any way disagrees with what you are saying.
Originally posted by skilts
I hope you don't think that anything I wrote, in any way disagrees with what you are saying.
I replied to this post, must have been wiped out in the crash. :mad:
Skilts, I thought you WERE disagreeing with what I was saying, it's just how I interpreted it........sorry about that. :)