research
division and classification
It has been two years since eight-month-old Matthew Eappen died at the hands of his nanny, Louise Woodward. A whole new wave of parents is entering the childcare market. Most of them wish they could afford a live-in nanny, believing that one-on-one care is the best and safest choice, and yet despair when they read news stories about children hurt by their caregivers. They may not realize that a group setting can be much better - and safer - for their children, and for themselves.
There are two general classes of child care for normal children in California: one-on-one in-home care by a babysitter, nanny, or au pair, and group care in a family day care center or a licensed day care center.
Many new parents fixate on the idea of a one-on-one caregiver in their own home, perhaps hearkening back to early memories of a stay-at-home mother or a grandmother or aunt who babysat them. They believe that a small child will benefit more from the strong bond with a single caretaker than from a group setting where many children compete for the attention of several adults. This may be true when that solo caregiver is a trained, responsible adult whose calling in life is to care for infants and toddlers. But in many cases the "nannies" or "au pairs" are actually relatively untrained teenagers who applied to an agency for child care work because they are equipped for no other, or to seek excitement and travel. Foreign au pairs, especially, are often told by their agencies that they will come to the States as exchange students, go to college, improve their English, and "do a little baby-sitting on the side". Imagine their resentment when they find they are stuck in the house all day with a crying baby and no companionship, day after day. These are dangerous circumstances that can lead to frustrated behavior such as shaking the baby, as in the Louise Woodward conviction.
In addition, almost no regulation exists for in-home one-on-one care. No licenses are required; no inspections are made. Most of the nanny and au pair agencies focus far more on providing prospective parents with criminal background checks on their caregivers rather than proof of early childhood education and training. A solo caregiver has no colleagues to take over if she feels dangerously stressed, and no witnesses are present in a one-on-one arrangement to observe the behavior of the child or the caregiver.
A live-in caregiver can save costs, because room and board is included, and the nanny or au pair is paid only a couple of hundred dollars a month in compensation. However, the use of a car is often part of the deal, which can lead to increased insurance costs. Live-out caretakers can be late to arrive, causing the parent in turn to be late to work. Live-in caretakers require adding another personality to your household, and when they get sick, you're still out a day's work.
A family day care home requires licensing and undergoes inspections, although far less stringent than those required for licensed day care centers. Family day care is usually provided in the home of a mother who wants to stay home with her own children. Depending on their ages, she may care for from three to six children including her own. Family day care operators are required to have some health care training, and a Child Development Associate credential. Several years' experience in entry-level child care can replace the educational requirement. The home is inspected for safety when the license is applied for, but infrequently after that.
Family day care runs several hundred a month for each child, and, unlike in-home care, children must be dropped off and picked up. For both, there is no-one to cover if the provider gets sick, and the parent misses a day of work unless there are backup plans in place.
Licensed day care centers have the most stringent licensing and requirements of all three types. The director must hold a college degree in early childhood development and must have taken a course in business administration. State regulations regarding the safety and set-up of the site are stringent, and inspections are frequent. Up to 60 children can be cared for with a number of staffers of varying degrees of early childhood education, with roles carefully spelled out by the State. Many younger aides are working towards becoming pre-school teachers, and many of the older ones have had decades of childcare experience. Drop-off and pickup are required, but the center is always open during its scheduled hours, which usually run 6 AM to 6 PM, and if a worker is sick, the parent needn't panic, for the center employs substitutes.
Also, where children in home care or a family day care center often sit for hours in front of the TV, most licensed day care centers forbid TV, opting instead for age-appropriate educational activities. Many licensed day care centers operate preschools for their older charges.
With many staffers, if one begins to feel the strain of working with small children all day, others are there to lend support and relief, and another pair of eyes to bear witness, which is a huge deterrent to inappropriate behavior towards children.
Licensed day care centers/preschools can be expensive: $400 to $600 per child per month, depending on age. (The cost goes down when potty-training is completed!) This is almost a whole salary. And yet I feel I've never spent smarter money, and I don't begrudge a penny of it.
My two daughters, now 6 and 10, went to licensed daycare center/preschools, from the time they were 3 months old until they "graduated" into kindergarten. They are the happiest, healthiest, most confident, sociable kids I know of. They are great readers and excellent students. And I never had a moment's worry in all those years. My work hours were flexible, so I could show up at any time of the day to pick them up, and no matter when I did, things were invariably calm and organized, and the kids were engrossed in their activities . In fact, mine hated to leave - they always wanted me to stay and play in the center with them!
As babies, my daughters were held and hugged and read to and sung to and played with by young women who had an abiding interest in early childhood development. As toddlers, the girls played games and sang songs all day long, were surrounded by books and enjoyed daily storytime ( no TV, ever.) They played outside in a safe yard, ate healthy meals and napped solidly. They learned their letters, played cooperatively, made friends they considered almost siblings, and adored their "teachers," who were dedicated women who got a tremendous amount of satisfaction seeing children learn and grow.
The Centers' directors knew and followed all the safety rules and were informed on every recent safety issue. They hired responsible staff, - turnover was low -and they knew each child's needs and idiosyncrasies.
I considered the staff trained professionals who were partners in my child-rearing experience. When people complimented me on my children I always joked, "I can't take all the credit - I hired professionals!"
I couldn't have given my daughters a better start in life.
Compare this to leaving your precious little one at home all day with a bored, resentful, lonely 19-year old with nothing but a TV and a crying baby for company all day, for almost the same price!
Of course there are fabulous nannies and au pairs who became beloved members of the family. And of course a family day care arrangement can be the only option for the household with a modest income. Wonderful ones can be found. By the same token, there are woeful licensed day care centers. As with most things in life, from buying a cell phone to choosing a mechanic, research is required. Parents should not just assume that in-home care is for their child. They should check out their local licensed daycare centers and give themselves more options. Daycare centers may cost a little more than leaving your child alone all day with an untrained amateur, but you will never miss a day's work, and you will purchase something that money can't buy - peace of mind.
References:
1). "National Resource for Health and Safety in Child Care"
nrc.uchsc.edu/states
2). "When Parents Choose Culture Over Child Care: Are Au Pairs too Inexperienced to be Caregivers for Your Kids?" (I paid $1.95 to read the article but forgot to note the author and I don't want to pay again!) Contra Costa Times, 11/12/98
Return to English 122 syllabus
Return to English 122 main page
Questions? Brian McKinney
(bmckinne@home.com)