Justifying Day Care
 

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....justify_d.html
Justifying day care
"As if I don’t already feel guilty for putting my son in day care at the tender age of three months, a new study shows that the more time children spend in center-based care before kindergarten, the more likely they’ll fight, disobey and argue, according to their 6th grade teachers.

The increase in problem behavior was slight, but studies like this inspire me to look for the silver lining. And I always return to the same thing: "the hygiene hypothesis," or the belief that early exposure to germs helps the immune system develop properly.

While most children get six to eight infections a year, children in day care bring home twice that number, or about one a month. Day-care settings --or petri dishes, as my pediatrician calls them-- have high levels of indoor allergens and have been shown to incubate and spread antibiotic resistant bacteria.

This sounds like a no-brainer: Keep your children at home! But since most of us don't have that option--63 percent of U.S. children under the age of five spend 37 hours a week in child care--I manage to get through the work day by reminding myself my kids might turn out healthier in the long run.

Some research bears this out. A 2005 study in the British Medical Journal showed that children who attended day care in the first few months of life are less likely to develop leukemia than children who do not, most likely because they were protected from exposure to common infections. Similar associations have been reported for Type 1diabetes and allergies and asthma in children.

Still, even if they have stronger immune systems, is it worth sending them to day care if they’re going to have behavioral issues that persist at least until 6th grade? That, according to the research, published in the March/April issue of "Child Development," is up to the parents.

The researchers involved with the longest and most comprehensive study of child care in the U.S. cautioned that parenting quality was a much more important predictor of child development than the type, quantity or quality of child care.

Ultimately, while quality day care is important, a quality home environment matters more."



We had to do without some things obviuosly but the wife and I both agreed that her being at home while the children were young, was far more important than her having a career or us having a new car or house. We now get compliments all the time about our kids and their behavior and I truly feel that this is one of the main reasons why. I do understand that not everyone's situation allows mom to stay home(especially single moms), but I do think that there are many cases that if they just tried to live a little simpler, they could pull it off.

Interestingly enough, a similar (maybe the same?) study shows that children in high-quality daycares have measurably, but not extremely, higher performance in school than those in lower quality daycare. I didn't see a comparison between stay-at-home children and daycare kids.

Well, that and your kids have good parents.

My wife and my theory was "If you aren't going to raise them then why have them?" Did our income take a hit? Abso-freaking-lutely. Would I do it again? In a minute. Our kids are as smart and well behaved as any I know.

I do know that some daycare centers have some preschooling programs for the older ones and could obviously help them get a jump on the schooling process. I sent all my kids to preschool. I do know that my friends kids who did go to daycare were sick much more often than mine ever were. They are quite unruley at times, but that also could fall on the failure of the parents.

Thanks Skip, seems its a job that you keep learning as you go along.

Well done.

I used to help clean bathrooms at a daycare I went to. I'm not sure it that's still legal or not but there was some pretty nasty stuff in there. Anyway I don't have any kids but speaking from the other side as a kid I loved it.

I couldnt agree more. My wife has been home for almost 4 years now raising our kids and its the best thing we could have done. She put a teaching career on hold figuring she could always go back later. Sure we had to sacrifice alot of material things, but all in all, we havent done too bad.

same here..we've made it ten years on just my income...been worth every sacrifice...what's wild, is my wife is even more committed to being home during the HS years.

Our kids go to a deal at church for a few hours a day, three days a week. It's not a generic day care, they actually learn stuff and interact with other kids. They seem to really like it and they're learning stuff.

We didn't want to do the full day every day thing for all the reasons mentioned.

We do two years of pre-school leading up to kindergarten, two days a week for 3 hours each day. Sort of a warm-up before kindergarten.

Not that I don't agree with stay at home mom's. We are preparing for our 4th child - 3 will be at home - and my wife is going to try to work from home. Luckily, it's our business so she will still be able to bring in some money.

My feeling has always been daycare is helpful for children in the growth process to be around other kids. Learning things that mom and dad can teach, but they have to experience first hand. Just the simple process of learning to play with other kids, or sharing, etc.

My kids have all gone to daycare. Not daycare centers, but daycare in someones home. Finding the right person is a very time consuming process, but when you do, it's great to know that your kids are in that type of environment.

I do feel that being with parents can be a good thing for kids. But both kids & adults need some separation. It helps both the parents & the kids.

Just my opinion, so take it for what it's worth.

I'm glad some one feels the same as I do. My wife and I love our daycare provider (daycare in someone's home) and our daughter has learned as much from the kids as she has from us. Yes, she catches every sniffle they have, but are we going to lock her up in a plastic bubble until she turns 30?
The whole behavior argument is crap. I was in daycare off and on growing up and have never has a problem arguing, however my youngest brother was exclusively at home and was the the most stubborn pain in the ass.

I don't have anything against day cares... hell, my mom has worked at one for 20 years. My wife and I just didn't want to have our kids in one form 9-5 every day.