Substandard Child Care Essay

Substandard Childcare
In today’s nation, the majority of households have a family dynamic where both parents need to work and/or attend school. If the family is based on a single parent, the parent must find a way to attend work or school and find care for their children. This puts many parents in a situation where they have to find extra help to watch their children while they are away. For these parents, when childcare comes to mind they think about the quality of the care, the affordability, and whether the care will be a positive experience for their children. Public policies are designed to improve the current conditions, yet the United States has been slow to move toward national standards and funding for childcare. Inexpensive care is in short supply and much of it is substandard in quality. Many families with young children and employed mothers rely on low cost care. With low cost child care there is a reason to be concerned about the quality of the care center. If the care for the child is not of a high enough standard to have a positive impact on the child’s development, it could threaten the health and safety of the child. Parents might be worried about whether their children are receiving the required attention and how they will be taken care of. These quality problems are
Child development is determined by many factors, which include: characteristics of the child, the family environment, care outside of the home, and the larger social environment all influence development. As part of this complicated, interactive process, childcare can have important effects on child development. The quality of childcare is closely linked with the children’s social, cognitive and language development, both at the time of receiving care and in later development. Children from low-income families may benefit the most form high quality care