Hannibal 1

Anna Marie Hannibal

Professor Laura L. Robinson
FHS 1500
29 September 2016
Unit 3 Essay
Question:
Child Care
If you were considering leaving your three-year-old child in a child care facility (family day care
or child care center), what would be your major concerns? Why? Would your concerns be
different, if your child were an infant? Explain. Would you prefer an academic or a childcentered preschool for your child? Why?
Answer:
Just over a year ago my husband and I began our quest to find a pre-school for our son.
We had been debating if we wanted to enroll him in pre-school. Finally, we had decided that
although we had family members who were willing watch him while we worked, we wanted him
to gain social skills by being around other children. Before we toured a pre-school near our home
I talked to my husband about some of my concerns. These concerns all had to do with his safety.
By playing with other children in safe places, they practice the skills needed for formal
education (Berger, 2016, p.198). For whatever reason parents might be looking for a child care
center to have their children attend, whether it be for social skills, education or just for daycare
while at work. I feel that the most important thing to consider is the safety of their children.
Nighty percent of children deemed abused or neglected are abused by their biological parent
(Berger, 2016, p.225). This means that the chance that your child will be abused at a child care
center is very low. That being said there still is a chance that it could happen. A few ways to
prevent this from happening would be to verify that there have been background checks done on
all the child centers staff, and to make sure the staff is trained in child development or a related
field and certified to be with children.
Be sure that the facility practices good harm reduction habits. Most injuries could have
been prevented by reducing the potential negative consequences of a behavior (Berger, 2016,
p.225). An easy way to know if they do would be t0 simply tour the facility. While on the tour
watch to see if there are any hazardous or toxic substances in reach of the children, look to see if
the location is safe, and if there is any unsafe equipment for play time. If you have young infants
be sure that nap time will be done in a safe location with safe procedures to eliminate the risk of
SIDS. According to Child Care Aware America, twenty percent of SIDS deaths occur in child
care centers (Child Fatalities and Severe Injuries in Child Care Centers, 2014)
If possible watch the teachers. Teachers who sit, watch, and criticize suggest low quality:
ideally teachers talk, laugh, guide, and play with the children (Berger, 2016, p.189). The ratio of
teacher to child is also very important. Child-to-staff ratio of 3:1 in a center caring for infants,
4:1 for 2-year-olds, and 7:1 for 3-year-olds (Child Care, 2001) In order to have the best

Hannibal 2
experience for your child you may want to consider what you want your child to be learning
while they are there, class sizes can determine this. If you are wanting more social interaction for
your child, than you might want a larger class size but if you are wanting more of the educational
benefits for your child than you may want a smaller class size.
You should also review the child care centers discipline policies. Longitudinal research
finds that children who are physically punished are more likely to be disobedient and to become
bullies, delinquents, and then abusive adults and are less likely to learn quickly in school or to
enroll in college (Berger, 2016, p.222). This research shows that using spanking as a disciplinary
technique has more negative effects than positive effects. Time-out works as a punishment if the
child really enjoys time-in when the child is happily engaged with the other peers (Berger,
2016, p.224). Using time-out as an alternative way to discipline children is a much more
effective approach.
While reviewing the discipline policies you should also review their illness transmission
policies. It is important to know if a sick child is allowed to attend school and if so what signs of
illness would the child be sent home. They also should have a way to communicate with the
parents if the child gets hurt or on a positive not did something impressive. A simple way to do
this could be a journal or even just a note sent home with the child.
One thing is certain, safety is very important especially when it comes to our children.
There is no excuse for injuries to happen if they could have been prevented. The more research
done on a child care center will help guarantee their safety.
Reference List
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Child Fatalities and Severe Injuries in Child Care Centers, Child Care Aware. June, 2014
Child Care: How to Find Quality Child Care. Parents. Meredith. 2001