Daycare Vs. Stay at Home Parent
So you're about to become a parent. Congratulations! As you've probably already discovered, a number of choices and new responsibilities come along with the joy and excitement. The day care vs. at-home parent decision is one of the many issues requiring careful consideration. A number of factors affecting both child and parents come into play when making this decision.
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History
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Day care centers provide child care while parents are at work or school. Before the industrial revolution, parents typically cared for their children with varying degrees of assistance from the surrounding community, many of whom were either extended family or functioned as such. In our modern, industrialized society, families tend to exist as nuclear units consisting of one or both parents and the children. In the United States, the first day care centers, then called "day nurseries," sprang up in Boston in the 1840s. The tradition of government-sponsored day care continued throughout the Great Depression and World War II. Kidshealth.org estimates that today, about 70 percent of parents make use of some form of child care.
Benefits of At-Home Parenting
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At-home parenting provides a wonderful opportunity for family bonding. The continuity of care possible within a child's own home, by someone who is concerned about the child's lifelong development in addition to his immediate welfare, gives the child significant emotional, psychological, physical and intellectual advantages. The child comes to trust that needs will be met consistently; there is limited unnecessary exposure to viral illnesses; and the parent(s) typically take time and effort to stimulate the child creatively and intellectually. Additionally, the parent has unlimited opportunity for bonding with the child and establishing a strong relationship.
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Advantages of Day Care
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On the other hand, in the day care environment a child can benefit from daily interaction with other children. Kathryn Patricelli, MA, writing for the Austin Travis County Mental Health website, Resources.atcmhm.com, states, "In a day care setting, the child is exposed daily to many other children and learns the important skills of sharing and playing together. Also, children in day care are likely to be exposed to and learn about people from different cultures, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds." The use of day care allows parents to continue their career paths, and the uninterrupted income flow more than offsets the cost of day care and related expenses.
Options for At-Home Parents
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Parents who choose to raise their infants and young children at home have several options. Typically, the mother puts her career on hold or works from home while taking care of the child, while the father continues his career outside the home. However, sometimes the father opts to be the primary caregiver while the mother continues her career uninterrupted. In some cases, both parents are able to continue their careers, either by working different full-time shifts or by dropping back to part-time hours.
Day Care Options
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Family members other than parents can give quality, loving care. Parents who choose day care have several alternatives in addition to the typical drop-off day care center. Many employers provide day care on-site, an option which can ease the anxiety that often accompanies parent/child separation, especially in the very beginning. Additionally, some parents choose to place their children in a small, home-operated day care facility. This gives the child the advantage of personal, one-on-one attention, but parents must investigate and screen such facilities carefully.
The Best of Both Worlds?
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Still other parents choose at-home care by a family member other than the parents. Grandparents or other close relatives are often more than willing to spend regular, quality time with the child, many times for little or no remuneration. The hiring of a baby sitter or nanny is yet another option. Again, this gives the child many of the advantages of an at-home parent, while allowing both parents the freedom to pursue their jobs or careers.
A Complex Issue
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Choosing between at-home parenting and day care can be a complex, occasionally agonizing decision for many parents. Parents must weigh the pros and cons of each option and apply them to their own particular situation. They must take care to ensure that the person who will be caring for their child, in whatever setting, has the child's best interests at heart. If those steps are taken during the decision-making process, then the choice that is made will likely be to the benefit of both the child and the parents.
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