Friday, March 30, 2007

Day Care is not so good?!?

I imagine there has been a lot of talk in the blogosphere about this new study by the National Institute for Child and Human Development that correlates time spent in child care before age 5 and later behavior problems at the sixth grade level. I'm sorry if my absence from the discussions lately results in my repeating points that have already been made. But I have to weigh in on this one.

This finding comes as no surprise to those of us who spend a lot of time with children.

I'm looking at a Wall Street Journal article summarizing the study. The conclusions?

Perhaps there is too much emphasis on academics. Maybe there is not enough sense of community in the classroom. Competition for toys may be rewarding aggressive behavior. The adult supervisors may not be sufficiently engaged. Ahem. Don't you just want to scream, "Maybe the kids just wanted to be with their moms!!!"

For heaven's sakes do you need to be a rocket scientist (or social scientist) to figure this one out?
Why is it so taboo to even suggest that maybe kids really do need their moms. Maybe it really does matter if mom is able and willing to make the sacrifice to stay home and care for her own children. In a well-reasoned, well-written article in the WSJ this thought never even occurred to the author? I imagine it is what everyone is secretly wondering.

At least this author did include one conclusion of the study that does indeed point to the superiority of care at home. "Being in large groups of kids is simply stressful. 70-80% of children in day care centers show increasing levels through the day of cortisol, a stress hormone linked to poor behavior." How can it be concluded that it's the large groups and not the separation from Mom? No one wants to ask the question, it seems.

The story of The Emperor's New Clothes certainly comes to mind.....

8 comments:

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...

I have had a little boy at my house every day for most of the week. It's nice because my little guy has a playmate. This child's mom is not in the picture....long story....but I am doing what I can here by letting him play at my house where he is supervised and has someone his age around.
ANYWAY, I do notice that after a few hours of having a guest, even a guest who is well-behaved and agreeable and fun, my son hits the wall.
So, maybe a combo of both the stress of being in a group (maybe my 5 year old is an introvert in some ways) AND the stress of missing Mom--there can be more than one villain here. You're right--they are asking the wrong question, and dancing around it by making what may be a valid point, but one that doesn't come near telling the whole story.

Suzanne said...

I do not like the daycare situation.
I feel if at ALL possible, children, of course, should be with a loving stable mother.
Unfortunately, that isn't the case.
My daughter works full time in the daycare at our church. Although I do not like the daycare set up, Teresa is a warm, loving, affectionate young lady who loves children and they respond and interact with her so well. The only thing good though, that I can say about this, is that (and I am not trying to sound prejudice...she really is a good role model and loving with children) is that I tell her how I feel and I encourage her to give them the best she can SINCE most of the moms there feel that money and big houses and things are more important to keep up with. Lord, it is soooo sad! She understands and really keeps all of this in mind. If nothing else, I hope and pray that the children in her care, will not have to pay as much later feeling a lack of love and good upbringing while in her care.
It is good to bring this up...and on the otherhand, I DO feel there are alot of younger women re-thinking some of this and staying home more...at least part-time, but still alot are staying home...good for them AND their families! AMEN

Rosemary said...

Barb, you're right. There are probably several explanations for what has been observed here. Actually, adults and children alike get a little stressed when being around a lot of people for too long...
Suzanne, I know what you mean, and yes, I see the pendulum starting to swing back too. A lot of moms are realizing this working AND mothering is not all it's cracked up to be (only so many hours in the day, etc.)

Amy said...

This is indeed a very sad truth. Having been brought up in several day cares as a child, I can assure you that it was not a positive experience. Even the places where no abuse was present, it was frightening. I can't even explain to you why I felt that way... I just did. I hated every single waking moment of it. I felt unprotected and uncared for. And it was not that the person who was in charge was not a caring person.
I just know, that I will never put my children in day care, unless there is no other possibly way on God's green earth.

Rosemary said...

Amy Caroline, wow, that's a strong testimony. There is that intangible sense of security, that feeling of being protected that just can't be measured in a child... How blessed are those of us who are able to stay home with our children.

Patricia Dischler said...

I have been providing child care in my home for over 17 years, Nationally Accredited and very proud of the high quality of personal care I provide to my small group. HOWEVER, there is one statement I make over and over - that the one place these kids could go that would be better than what I offer would be to stay home with Mom. There is nothing better than to have a Mom say she's pulling her child out because she wants to stay home with them. Mom trumps me everytime! I would like to point out though that they study showed negative experiences in large centers and with kids who were there long hours. In my book, "From Babysitter To Business Owner" I teach home care providers how to ensure the highest quality for children in their care. Parents who feel they must choose child care should keep this in mind and look for small groups (like home child care) and leave their kids there as few hours as possible. The study actually shows a benefit to children who are in high-qualtiy care, it's just that "Mom" is top of the list!

Colleen said...

First off, I sent up a prayer of thanksgiving for your husband. I didn't know he was having job problems, but I've not been online much in the last few weeks.

Secondly, thanks for commenting on this study. I wasn't online when it was first reported, so (like you!) I don't know what they've said in the blogosphere.

I agree with you on this issue.

When I was growing up, it was common for mothers to be stay-at-home. Those friends whose mothers were employed outside the home did not go to daycare, but had a Grandma there at home, to take care of them until mom and dad got home. Therefore, my first experience with daycare was in college, when a psychology-major friend got a job at a national chain daycare place. THAT is what turned us both against the idea of sticking our future children into daycare. Not only did the proceedings at the place go against everything she'd learned about child psych in her classes, but there were odd issues at play, too. For example, they didn't have enough money in the budget for healthy snacks, so they had to skimp on the quality of food they were handing out. Yet, at the same time, there was excess money in the budget to decorate bulletin boards around the place according to the proper season. We felt this was a waste, not because children shouldn't have a cheery-looking environment, but because the walls could certainly have been decorated with lots and lots of (free!) kid art -- and the kids could have been given healthy snacks!

This study was a bit of a no-brainer!

Rosemary said...

Patricia, thank you for sharing your perspective. We must remember that as long as children are in daycare we want the best possible situations for them and I'm sure there is much to consider in making the quality as high as possible. Thanks be to God for providers like you!

CWM, thank you for your prayer and your comments. You have an interesting perspective. Really, bulletin boards above healthy snacks? Yeah, I'd say the study was a no-brainer too.