Essay On Non Parental Care

There is considerable controversy over the effects of non-parental care versus parental care on a child’s early development and ability to form primary attachments. Ahnert and Lamb (2004) explored past research on the subject in an attempt to determine if non-parental child care during the ages 2-5 is beneficial or detrimental. Only recently have early developmental specialists attempted to consider non-parental child care as a factor in development in contrast to a sole focus on parental care. It was thought that primary attachments required continuous care from a small number of important reference figures in a child’s life, and that non-parental care would interfere with this process. However, Ahnert and Lamb suggest there are possible benefits of children spending time in child care facilities.

Child care facilities have become increasingly popular now that it is common to see women in the workforce, especially during childbearing age.

With both parents being employed, the popular course of action is to place a young child in child care facilities, such as daycare programs. These facilities provide beneficial opportunities to a child’s development, however it must be recognized that the home is essential in emotional growth, and parent relationships with the child are still important (Ahnert & Lamb, 2004). These potential benefits include increasing the amount of social contact with both peers and adults, which can assist the child in later social interactions. Introducing children to social situations early in their lives can help them develop higher quality relationships and interaction skills. Furthermore, it can increase how much children get out of education and how they handle conflicts. In terms of education, introducing children to child care facilities prior to enrolling them into preschool and kindergarten can help the adjustment into the education system and prepare young children to form successful

friendships.
Despite the above benefits that can result from non-parental child care, it is important to note the possibility they might not occur in every child introduced into these systems. Facilities with sub-par child care often result in increased rates of insecure attachments and the children who average 30 or more hours per week in non-parental care are more likely to show behavioral problems, such as aggression and defiance (Berk 2014). Consequently, it is imperative that parents search for high quality facilities before trusting them with their young children. Appropriate child care environments have low adult-child ratios and the care providers must have adequate training and offer society-supported activities (Ahnert & Lamb, 2004). Likewise, parents need to spend adequate time with their children in order to form necessary attachments and comfort levels. Keeping children in child care facilities for extended periods of time could result in feelings of abandonment and can hinder a child’s ability to form relationships in general.
In conclusion, non-parental child care facilities can be beneficial so long they are of high quality and are not abused. These facilities can support a child’s development, socially and cognitively, but parents should not rely on them extensively. Society supports both mothers and fathers being employed, and quality child care programs allow parents to keep up with work without leaving young children unattended. However, if children spend an excessive amount of their time in non-parental care, it can be detrimental to forming important parental attachments and a sense of security within one’s home. Low quality care can also be harmful in development as they would be in the care of unqualified caregivers and unsatisfactory conditions. As long as these two phenomena do not occur, there is no reason to believe non-parental child care is detrimental to early childhood development.