Filed Under "O" for Obvious

I have received a few e-mails about the recent study about the effects of childcare on the growth and development of children. The study, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, found that children who spend their earliest years in childcare tend to have greater behavioral problems when they are older.

For those of us who work with children, this is a no-brainer.

Two points:

1) Children want and need to be with their parents. This may not be a reality for some families. However, the more time you spend with your child, the better off he or she will be.

2) There is a HUGE difference in the quality of childcare that is available. There are many fantastic Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio-Emilia and play based programs that will have tremendous benefits for your child. Unfortunately, there too many horrible options: corporate child care centers, low quality in home and the like. Most of the poor quality programs tend to pay employees very little, which leads to an uneducated, inexperienced teaching staff with a high rate of turnover. Exposing your child to this type of environment is, in my opinion, damaging.

An early childhood program is nothing but people - but do your homework before making your decision, to ensure that your child will be a member of a stable, positive and nurturing preschool community.