Daycare Dilemna

Daycare Dilemma

Parents should be placing their children in an academic daycare or home daycare program instead of having someone come to their home to take care of their child for several reasons. Choosing childcare is one of the most difficult decisions a parent will ever have to make, but also one of the most important. First, parents who put their children in an academic daycare will not have to share their home with a stranger, something most people find uncomfortable. Out-of-home childcare is generally a more affordable option than in-home child care, which helps financially. The biggest reason for out-of-home child care is that children become more socially active and tend to learn more. Children, in this type of environment, socialize with children their own age and are more prepared to enter kindergarten. Over 75% of parents today work outside the home and face the decision of choosing the most beneficial childcare for their children. There have been several studies on what kind of daycare environment is best for children, and it has been shown that an academic daycare, where there is formal learning and socialization is best children.

I was fortunate enough to interview the director and one of the Pre-K teachers of the Phoenix School in Rocklin. Chris Johnson, who is the current director of the Phoenix School, has been in early childhood education for fifteen years. She has a bachelor's degree in early childhood development and has taught at the Phoenix schools for the last ten years. "I can't agree more that children should be placed in a structured environment at an early age. Children start to learn when they come out of the womb and never stop, an academic preschool can jumpstart their learning career."

(C. Johnson, personal communication, March 28, 2004) Chris went over the current curriculum for children starting at one, learning basic songs and arts, to age four, learning to write and spell.

"I have taught for well over 20 years at the preschool level and still can't under stand why a parent would not want to expose their children to such a great environment." (J. Allen, personal communication, March 23, 2004) Jodi Allen is currently one of the Pre-K teachers at the Phoenix School in Rocklin. Jodi has been a certified Pre-K teacher for 20 years and also has a bachelor's degree in early childhood development. Jodi began her career by running an in-home daycare and once she obtained her degree, began teaching at a local preschool. "I have a six year old daughter and I put her through the same curriculum as I do with my children at school. I make sure all my children are prepared for Kindergarten and have a lets go attitude toward academics." (J. Allen, personal communication, March 23, 2004)

Many parents have no choice but to put their children in some type of childcare system and this can be a very difficult decision to make. There are four options every parent has when finding care for their child. If feasible, I think everyone's first choice would be to stay at home with their child, but since most parents have to work, we really only have three choices: enroll them in a daycare center, in home daycare or hire in home help, such as a live-in caregiver. For obvious reasons, I have chosen option number one and believe that in-home childcare is also equally acceptable for almost any child.

One of the main reasons I believe that a live-in care giver is a bad choice is because of the reliability of depending on person to care for your child. A live-in caregiver is your child's sole caregiver, therefore, you will have to scramble to find another should your caregiver decide to leave.

My last interview was with a friend of mine, Sally Mello. Sally chose to hire a live in caregiver when she went back to work after her son was six months old. "I thought that by having this one person caring for my son she could provide the individual love and support I provided when I was there. I was so wrong." (S. Mello, personal communication, March 25, 2004) Sally explained that she went through three live in caregivers, all for different reasons. The first live-in caregiver was from Germany and once she reconciled with her boyfriend, she made the decision to move back to Germany. The second live-in caregiver did nothing with her son during the day. One day she came home at lunch and found her live-in caregiver sleeping on the couch while her son played on the living room floor by himself. The last live-in caregiver was basically a habitual liar and was caught stealing from them. "I don't know about you but why would you want a criminal taking care of your children?" (S. Mello, personal communication, March 25, 2004)

Although nanny care is no longer considered a luxury, it is still the most expensive form of childcare. Some parents in big cities pay as much as $700 per week or more, plus medical insurance, paid vacation, and holidays. If good nannies are at a premium where you live, you may need to offer them perks such as a gym membership or unlimited