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by Catherine Pruissen

What Do We Really Know about Child Care and Aggression?
by Diane W. Bales, Ph.D.
Human Development Specialist
Cooperative Extension Service
The University of Georgia

Are children who spend more than 30 hours per week in child care more aggressive than children who spend little or no time in out-of-home care?

national child care study has suggested this. But parents who place their children in child care may not need to feel as guilty as the reports have suggested. The news is not all bad. In fact, there are some clear positive effects of high-quality child care program in this study.

As sometimes happens, the details of this research study have gotten lost in the translation by popular media. Here are some of the major findings from this study, as well as more detail on the results related to aggression.

Child Care Quality Matters
The quality of child care does make a difference. Children in high-quality care are less likely to be aggressive than are children in lower-quality care. Children in high-quality programs also tend to develop better language and thinking skills. Parents can find high-quality child care settings by looking for things like small adult-to-child ratios; well-trained, sensitive, and responsive caregivers; and a setting that provides stimulation and teaches children how to solve problems and resolve conflicts.

Hearing Language Helps Build Language
Children who hear more reading and talking in their child care settings tend to do better on language tests at ages 4 and 5. Parents and caregivers can help children learn language by asking questions, responding to and expanding on what children say, and reading and singing with children. And limit the amount of time children watch TV. Children who spend more time watching TV tend to have smaller vocabularies.

Parents Matter, Too
Children who receive loving care at home are less likely to show problem behaviors, even if they are in full-time child care. Children need parents who are warm and responsive to their needs, who spend regular time interacting with them, and who set consistent, age-appropriate limits.

What Does the Study Really Say About Aggression?
"Aggression" is a hot topic for parents and society as a whole these days. Several high-publicity school shootings have led parents to worry about violent teens. And it's true that the roots of violence often can be traced back to early childhood. What many parents don't understand is that this study does not prove that long hours in child care cause children to be more aggressive. The study found that somewhat more children in full-time child care showed aggressive behaviors than did children in child care fewer than 10 hours per week. But even among children in full-time child care, only 17% - fewer than 1 in 5 children - showed aggressive behaviors. And the percentage of children in full-time care who were aggressive is the same as the percentage of all children who are aggressive. So children in full-time child care do not show abnormally high levels of aggression, compared to children in general.

It is also important not to misinterpret the relation between time in child care and aggression. Although the study did show a link between hours in child care and aggression, this does not mean spending time in child care causes children to be more aggressive. Several other explanations are possible. It is possible, for example, that children who spend more time in out-of-home care were more aggressive even before they entered child care.

Consider also that social skills are as important in preparing for kindergarten as are thinking and language skills. Too many adults think that children who can count and recite the alphabet are ready for school. But children in school must also get along with others, negotiate, and resolve conflicts. Children who learn problem solving and conflict management in early childhood will be better prepared to handle the social world of kindergarten and will be less likely to handle their problems aggressively.

The bottom line is that warm, loving adults who talk with, listen to, and care about children do help those children succeed. Parents and child care providers need to work together to be sure that children have the high-quality care they need, whether at home or elsewhere.

Reference: New Research Demonstrates Unique Effects of Quantity, Quality, and Type of Child Care Experienced from Birth Through Age 4.5, Press Release by the Society for Research in Child Development, 4/19/01. - Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Bales, D. (2001). What do we really know about child care and aggression?

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Appreciating the professionalism of their child care provider does not come easy for parents. After all, the term "baby-sitter" has not gone the way of the dinosaur and become extinct when it comes to child care. Despite the trust parents put in a facility or caregiver to provide quality care for their child, caregivers quite often do not receive the respect they deserve for a job well done.

What can a parent do to show appreciation for their caregiver? Start by treating your caregiver as a professional at all times. Imagine what your life would be like if you did not have the care, nurturing, and dedication she provides. She is vital part of your family. And she deserves to be treated with the same professionalism you give to your dentist, dry cleaner, or hair stylist.

Showing your appreciation is really quite simple:

• Pay your caregiver on time and never, ever, grump about the cost of her services. Can you imagine if your employer did that to you: "Here's your check, but gosh I wish I didn't have to pay you so much for doing such a valuable job."
• Be prompt picking up your child. It's a long day for your caregiver just as it is for you. Show respect for her time.
• Be cheerful when you drop-off and pick up your child. Your caregiver has had a long hard day too, and a cheerful disposition from you can make her day.
• Respect the daycare's schedule for child's naps, mealtimes, etc. If you need to talk to your caregiver, ask her when the best time to call would be, and call her when you say. She's most likely holding up her schedule in anticipation of handling your concerns. Be courteous and on time.
• Say "thank you" when your caregiver does something special for you or your child. Don't let anything go unnoticed. That craft she worked so hard on with the children for Valentine's day should be acknowledged. An upbeat "thanks you" says so much. Think of what you are teaching your child at the same time. If he/he sees you treating your caregiver with respect and appreciation, your child will do the same.
• Respect your caregiver's policies, especially on issues of sick child care, etc. You accepted these terms when you signed the contract with her. If one child sent home sick saves your child from getting the virus and you from having to take time off from work to deal with it, be thankful. When it's your turn to keep your child home, just deal with it. Have your backup plan in place so you can act on it quickly.
• Appreciate her training and education. It benefits your child immensely.

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Does It Really Matter?

by Stephen D. Green, Ph.D.

Caregivers, teachers, peers, extended family, media, heredity, and the environment all contribute to a child's development; however, parents (if present) are the most powerful influence in the lives of their children. Parental involvement not only shapes development during the initial years of life, but also during the adolescent and adult years.

Given this important role, to what extent should parents be involved in their children's development? According to the National PTA, "Parental involvement is the participation of parents in every facet of the education and development of children from birth to adulthood, recognizing that parents are the primary influence in their children's lives." If this statement is correct, then parents have a tremendous responsibility to be involved with their children both inside and outside the home, including their children's non-parental childcare arrangements.

• higher student grades and test scores,
• better attendance,
• higher rates of homework completion,
• more positive student attitudes and behavior,
• higher graduation rates, and
• greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education.

• In what ways do the parents involve themselves?
• Are there areas in which they can become more involved?
• What are some of the barriers preventing parents from being involved?
• What efforts have been effective or ineffective in the past?
• Are parents satisfied or dissatisfied with their level of involvement?
• In what capacity would they like to become more involved?
• What attitudes toward parental involvement do the staff have?

• one-on-one parent-provider meetings;
• career days, when a parent comes to talk about his or her job with the children;
• educational events, such as a parent coming to read a book to the children;
• field trips, such as a trip to the children's museum;
• recreational activities led by parents at a local park; and
• opportunities to eat meals together.

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You can almost count on it. At some point in the near future your child is going to become too ill to go to the daycare. What do you do?

If you've taken the time to work out a backup care plan, you'll simply place a call and set Plan B into action, perhaps Plan C if need be. No plan? Well, get your pencil sharpened and put you're thinking cap on. You're about to make one now.

1) First, write down all the people who may be able to help you out in a pinch:

• Relatives like Grandma or an Aunt
• Friends
• Neighbors
• Members of your clubs, church, recreation group, school council
• Students from the local college or university
• Other stay-at-home parents you know
• School principal, teachers
• Other caregivers in our Child Care Registry

2) Next, call everyone on your list until you've found at least two people who will be there on short notice. Offer to repay their services by watching the backup caregiver's kids on the weekend or after hours, or pay a little

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The great thing about giving gifts during the holiday season is that it teaches children about the value of giving. It allows them to see, even at a very early age, the joy their kindness can bring to someone.

Giving a gift to your child care provider teaches your child that you respect your caregiver and appreciate her for what she does for your child and your family. You can reinforce this appreciation by involving your child in the gift selcting, gift wrapping, card signing, etc..

Such gifts might include:

• Gift certificates from the local mall, a nice restaurant, bookstore, or from a store the caregiver loves and that does not carry kiddie merchandise
• Candles
• Christmas decorations
• Chocolates or other tasetful treats
• Movie theatre tickets or gift certificate
• Gift baskets
• Pretty scarves or a bottle of her favorite cologne
• Home-baked goodies
• A donation to the caregiver's favorite charity if she insists she does not want gifts
• A card with a note thanking your caregiver for her selfelessness
• A gift of money equalling 1/2 to a full week's wages (if you can afford to do so).

A World Fit for Children

November 20 is National Child Day across Canada. The date, designated in 1993 by the Government of Canada, commemorates the United Nations adoption of two landmark documents centred on children and their human rights: the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1959, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Convention on the Rights of the Child) on November 20, 1989.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines responsibilities of governments, families, and caregivers, as well as the rights of the child. All children and youth have inherent rights, which can be defined as those basic things that are necessary to live and grow with dignity as human beings. For example, children have rights to a supportive family, to provision of adequate food, clothes, housing, and education, to protection from all forms of harm, and to participation.

The theme for National Child Day 2002 is A World Fit for Children. For more information on activities families and educators can do with their children to celebrate National Child Day, visit the National Child Day Web site at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/english/

The Canadian Child Care Federation also publishes great National Child Day

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The decision to return to work is never an easy one, especially when the child is still an infant. There is so much to be considered. After all, infant care is very different from what you'd expect in toddler or preschool care, and well it should be. As any parent knows, babies have many more needs.

So what should parents look for when selecting infant care?

• A caregiver who is loving, warm, and who openly demonstrates affection through cuddling, touching and playing with a child. She also holds the baby during feedings.
• A setting that in which there are no more than 3 infants to one adult and a group setting of no more than six children. In home daycare there should be no more than two children under that age of two.
• An environment that is safe, clean, bright, cheerful, and has plenty of space for a child to crawl, roll, and explore his world. The infant area should be segregated from the toddler or preschool area in center-based care. Diapering areas should be away from any eating or playing areas. And, there should be a good assortment of learning materials geared to the ever-evolving infant.
• A schedule that is based on each baby's own schedule for eating, playing and napping. Rigid or fixed schedules are not good for infant care.
• A communication system that lets you know how your baby slept, ate, and what type of bowel movement she had for the day and where the caregiver takes the time to talk with you each day about your baby.
• Finally, you want a caregiver who will help you and your family adjust to the care by allowing your child to bring his own security blanket or toy to the facility, and will encourage you to come a little early or stay as long as you need to to feel comfortable separating from your child and vise versa.

From: Selecting Infant Care, by Catherine Pruissen.

Sadly, child care licensing is no guarantee of quality child care. Parents must be astutely aware of what is going on at their child's daycare centre, home child care, or in their own home when nanny care is involved. That means learning how to carefully monitor child care arrangements to ensure they remain safe and of good quality. Some tips from our workbook, Monitoring Your Child Care Arrangements:

Observe
It takes as little as five minutes a day to
     1) Look around for safety practices, art work, used play materials, etc. to know the children aren't being left to their own devises.
     2) Listen to the voices of children and caregivers - are they happy? Solemn? Playful?
     3) Count the number of staff and children. Does the number meet your local regulations for child/staff ratios? Are there over 6 or 7 children in the home?
    
Communicate
Take five minutes to talk with your caregiver. Positive parent/provider communication plays a major role in ensuring quality care. Talk with your child as well. Ask what fun things they did during the day or if anything happened that bothered them

Visit Unexpectantly
Paying an unexpected visit to your child care facility or home is one of the best ways to gag what is actually going on. Any daycare, home care provider who objects to unexpected visits or keeps you at the door instead of inviting you in, is no place for any child.

Use Your Intuition
Pay close attention to your own instincts. No one knows your child better than you do. Any usual changes in your child's temperament or behaviour should be taken seriously. So too should any noticeable changes in the caregiver's temperament.

Maintain a Monitoring System
The worksheets in the Monitoring Your Child Care Arrangements Workbook can be used over and over again to assist you in monitoring your child care arrangements, and in ensuring your child's safety and well-being.

Parents in Canada now have a way to build a strong collective voice regarding child care through a new, two-year initiative, Parent Voices, sponsored by the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada and funded by the Social Development Partnerships Program of Human Resources Development Canada. Among the goals of Parent Voices, the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada hopes to:

• Provide information and tools to share and use – bulletins, flyers, practical advocacy tips, articles and parent advocacy activities across Canada. All of these tools will be available on our web page.
• Provide hands-on support to interested parent groups. This includes finding statistics and articles on request, providing ways to share community-based campaign strategies, helping with local information flyers and linking different parent groups with one another.

childcare.net encourages parents to visit the Parent Voices Web site to learn more about the initiative and how they can make their voice heard with advocacy tools and other resources. Click here to learn more!

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