A local community center asks you to give a presentation to parents-to-be on out-of-home care and its potential influence on child development. What points might you include in your presentation?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Make explicit reference to the prevalence of out-of-home care and to the effects of the child's background, the quality of the care, and the amount of time spent in out-of-home care.

Students' answers may vary. One of the possible responses is as follows:

Prevalence-30% of children whose mothers work outside the home spend their days in child-care centers. By 6 months of age, 2/3 of infants are cared for by people other than their mothers for part of the day. Most of these infants begin child care before the age of 4 months and are cared for by people other than their mothers for almost 30 hours each week.

Quality of care-High-quality care is associated with positive outcomes. Children in high-quality out-of-home care are more considerate and sociable than other children, and they interact more positively with teachers. They are also more compliant and better at regulating their own behavior than are other children.

Low-quality care is related to feelings of insecurity.

Child's background-The benefits of high-quality care are especially important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. High-quality care provides intellectual stimulation. Disadvantaged children in good-quality out-of-home care show long-lasting gains in cognitive and language development and in intellectual achievement.

Time spent in care-Long hours spent in care (> 20 hours/week) may reduce attachment security among infants. Among infants and preschoolers, long hours in care may reduce the ability to work independently and manage time when the children reach elementary school.