Child Development: The Right Child Care

1084 Words3 Pages

Child development can be greatly impacted through choosing the right child care. As a parent, you want to make certain that your infant and/or child feels (is) safe and content in an environment of child care that is not only enjoyable and fostering, yet educational as well. Therefore, trying to find the ideal child care setting for your six month old infant can seem rather challenging at times. With that being said, the longer that a parent and/or parents can delay the placement in child care following the birth of their infant is best. This allows accurate enough time for attachment to take place, for the complete healing of the umbilical cord, the establishment of healthy feeding times, as well as for other newborn firsts on behalf of both parent and infant to dissolve and routine to set in.
Naturally, this period of adjustment would be between three to six months. However, due to the fact that many employed mothers only have a six-week maternity window of leave, this is not always practical especially if the family relies income of the mother (or both parents for that matter). With that being said, “the rising percentage of women in the workforce has led to an increase in maternal employment and to a greater reliance on non-parental care” (Skouteris, McNaught & Dissanayake, 2007, p. 34).
Nevertheless, it is imperative that you as a parent take certain aspects into consideration when searching for quality child care for your infant. This includes but is not limited to the physical setting of the child care center, the general cost, proximity, personnel qualifications, emotional and cognitive wellbeing as well as the overall health, safety and nutrition. Further explained in detail below are each of these factors concerning wha...

... middle of paper ...

...tance programs to help defer the cost. In my personal opinion, a parent should request the names of other parents as references and never consider making a decision without meeting the people who will be caring for your infant.

Works Cited

Berk, L. (2012). Infants and children prenatal through middle childhood. Pearson Publishing.
Davis, E., Priest, N., Davies, B., Sims, M., Harrison, L., Herrman, H., & ... Cook, K. (2010). Promoting children's social and emotional wellbeing in childcare centres within low socioeconomic areas: Strategies, facilitators and challenges. Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 35(3), 77-86.
Skouteris, H., McNaught, S., & Dissanayake, C. (2007). Mothers’ Transition Back to Work and Infants’ Transition to Child Care: Does Work-based Child Care Make a Difference?. Child Care In Practice, 13(1), 33-47. doi:10.1080/13575270601103432

More about Child Development: The Right Child Care

Open Document