1. Eliza Crone
Tracy Johnson
Hilda Lojas
Marti Miramontezb
Child & Family 90.1 April 16, 2013

2. Research suggests that child care plays an important role in the
social and educational development of children and with so many demands on
today’s families and the increased focus on early brain development, families
need all the support they can get to nurture the potential of youth. That’s
why child care and early learning programs focus on nurturing child
development by providing a safe and healthy place to learn foundational
skills, develop healthy, trusting relationships and build self-reliance through
the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility in helping parents
work or prepare for work. Obtaining affordable, quality child care is
important for low-income families and their children. Children are like
sponges – they watch and absorb knowledge, skills and values from everything
and everyone around them.
Child care, afterschool and Child Watch programs are staffed with
people who understand the cognitive, physical and social development of
kids, the needs children have to feel connected and supported in trying new
things, and the caring and reinforcement parents and families need to help
each other.
.

3. Early Childcare vs Later Childcare
* Independence- Children who separate from their parents early and have a
positive experience at daycare learn to trust that Mom and Dad will leave but
they always come back. In addition, these children become confident in their
own skills and thus, more self-reliant
* Socialization- Daycare gives young children an opportunity to interact with
their peers in a structured, supervised environment. When providers recognize
and nurture a child's developing ability to navigate social environments, daycare
can provide a positive socialization experience for young children.
* Academic Advantage- Many daycares provide some form of instruction or
exposure to academic concepts. Calendar concepts, time concepts, letters, and
numbers are all explored during circle time each morning. Many daycares offer
music classes and art projects, exposing your child to a variety of experiences.
Your child will learn to follow a schedule and the structure will prepare her for
school.

4. Childcare Pros and Cons
Pros of Facility
* Safe, Secure and reliable.
* Scheduled to participate and be in contact with parents.
* Opportunities for children to meet other children their own age
* They offer a smaller group setting- may be more desirable for some
• children to adapt easier
* Children must adapt to fewer adults during the day and have the
* Opportunity to form a close bond to the person who cares for them

7. Head Start Mission
The Head Start program's mission is to
improve the lives of low-income children by
providing quality comprehensive child development
services that are family focused, including
education, health, nutrition and mental health.
The Head Start mission is accomplished by
involving parents in the total operation and
administration of the program and supporting the
growth of children, families and staff through
encouragement, nurturing, education and
empowerment.

8. Head Start Programs
 Head Start is a federal program
that promotes the school
readiness of children ages birth to
5 from low-income families by
enhancing their cognitive, social
and emotional development.

9. Pros: Head Start Program
Head Start programs provide a learning environment that
supports children's growth in:
*Language and literacy
*Cognition and general knowledge
*Social and emotional development
*Approaches to learning
Children would no longer be segregated by economic status; the
stigma of poverty associated with Head Start could subside.
Because children would be all mixed together, as they are in the
K-12 public schools, there are more chances to promote
continuity from pre-K up through the early elementary grades.

10. CONS: Head Start Program
*Funding instability in one program could lead to a mismatch in quality and
expectations between portions of the day. What happens when a state cuts early
education programs to survive a severe budget crunch? (Funding imbalances are, of
course, a problem inherent in any system that relies on both state and federal
money).
*Eligibility criteria may differ between time periods in the day. Many working
families, for example, aren't "poor enough" to qualify for Head Start. Parents who
work full-time would have to find alternatives for afternoon childcare - and figure
out how their children would be transported to different facilities or classrooms.
*Children of different economic circumstances would be taught in one room instead
of being separated, based on their parents' income levels, into different
classrooms, buildings and facilities, as they are today. At the level of classroom
instruction, no one would be able to tell which children have their tuition covered by
Head Start dollars.
* Without a common set of standards for both programs, whose standards for
classroom quality take precedence? Who would be "in charge' on issues like teacher
credentialing and children-to-teacher ratios -- the state or the federal
government? Would standards be based on the lowest common denominator?

11. With a focus on safety, health, social growth
and academic enhancement, Y afterschool programs
serve kindergartners through middle schooler’s with a
variety of programmatic and activity options to
explore and develop their interests and talents.
More children are getting help with
homework and learning new skills, all while having an
opportunity to thrive in the Y’s afterschool program.

12. All kids have great potential. At the Y, a leading
nonprofit strengthening community through youth
development, they work every day to help kids set and achieve
their personal and educational goals.
As a result, millions of children and teens nationwide
gain confidence as they recognize the Y as a place where they
belong and can feel comfortable exploring new interests and
passions.
Additionally, through their leadership and academic
enrichment programs such as mentoring, the Y makes sure that
every child has an opportunity to envision and pursue a
positive future, and to take an active role in strengthening his
or her community.

13. The Y is the starting point for many
youth to learn about becoming and staying
active, and developing healthy habits they’ll
carry with them throughout their lives. And the
benefits are far greater than just physical
health.
Whether it’s gaining the confidence that
comes from learning to play basketball or
building the positive relationships that lead to
good sportsmanship and teamwork, participating
in sports at the Y is about building the whole
child, from the inside out.

14. *A child care co-op is a program where the parents come
and volunteer, as the day care worker.
*Everyday there are four workday parents helping out
with the group time centers, cleaning the classroom after
every activity, and overall supervision.
*The cooperative is led by a parent-elected Board of
Directors who establishes policies and hire and oversee
qualified staff who run the day-to-day operations.
*A child care co-op is an increasingly popular option for
budget-conscious parents with a large circle of friends. *
*Parents are attracted to childcare and preschool
cooperatives because they offer high quality, affordable
early education for children.

15. Pros-
*There is a 1:5 ratio usually, and the children
get more one on one attention with the
parent volunteer.
*They are able to help them with projects or
conflict resolution.
This also helps the parents to be able to help
keep them engaged in activities, etc.
*Everyday in the classroom the children are
able to enjoy a variety of art projects and/or
centers that access their learning skills. The
parents work with a small number of
children at each center during group time.

16. Cons- of Co-Ops:
*There is a lack of consistency on a day-to-day-basis. There
are different parents on every school day and although
everyone tries to follow the same rules and routines it can
never be consistent like it would be with a constant
teacher/aide.
*An example of this is would be that there are at least 4
workday parents plus the teacher each day. There are many
times when other parents stay or come in early to “socialize”
with the children, but they really end up socializing with the
workday parents. This is discouraged from happening because
they end up pulling the scheduled parents attention away from
their job and the supervision of the children
*When a child’s parent is volunteering that day the child has a
tendency to want to sit on the parents lap during circle and
share time at the carpet, which then can take the child’s
attention off of what is going on . This can cause more
distractions within the group time and they lose
concentration.
*Also, when a child’s parent is volunteering they seem to want
to coddle their child instead of letting them do things on their
own. This really interrupts the socialization process of
encouraging independence.

17. Summary:
There are many different types of child care available for working parents, or for parents to just have
the day off and take some time for themselves. The child care that you choose can have a lasting effect
on how your child meets the socialization skills necessary for a happy successful future. Early child
care is one of the building blocks to help your child gain independence, and to be able to learn about
sharing with other children. These skills are required in order to become functioning adults someday
and to be productive members of society.
Which ever way you choose to go, whether it is a structured daycare setting or a
co-op type of care, children will benefit from the knowledge they gain, the friends they make, and the
influence that childcare workers have to offer to help build a strong sense of self and to be able to
accomplish many different goals in life. Finding a childcare that has a staff well-educated in child
development is a plus, and most agencies are requiring these credentials now.
Asking from other parents such as word of mouth is always a good thing when you are searching for
that perfect daycare, and knowing that your kids are in safe hands gives you the peace of mind you
need to help your child grow emotionally, as well as psychologically. Also, it is good to know that if you
are on a tight budget, there are agencies out there that can help ease the costs by providing care at a
discounted rate or possibly free as well. Children are our future, and it’s important to make them feel
safe, loved and well-cared for. They deserve the very best that we can offer them to explore and to
discover the big world out there.