Basic HTML Version
Part
Nine:
t8ti
PLAIN TRUTH
ABOUTCHILDREARING
Today's
Child-Care Crisis
I
T IS
now a worldwide
trend.
Not only in industrialized
societies, but in developing
areas, such as in the islands of
the Caribbean, rising numbers
of mothers are j-oining the work
force. Here, statistics show up
to 90 percent of the
chi ldren were in day
care before they were 2
years of age.
Demand for day care in
Australia, New Zealand
and in Latin America is
strong.
In Canada, more than
half the children 5 years
and under are supervised
by sorne sort of nonpa–
rental care. About 40 per–
cent of Britain's under-5s
are in day-care facilities.
More than 35 percent of
children of 6 years and
less are in day care in
West Germany.
The United States is
experiencing another baby
boom, but this time, only a
few months after the birth
of their babies, mothers are return–
ing to their jobs. More than half of
U.S. mothers are now working out–
side the home. Mothers of children
under age 3 are a significant part of
the record-breaking increase.
Who will care for these chil–
dren ? And the hundreds of thou–
sands of children in other nations
whose fathers and mothers have
both joined the labor force?
September 1985
Ts organized, government-li–
censed or subsidized day care really
providing the answers to the need
of today's families? Or can fran–
chised or corporation-provided day
care or nonprofessional care answer
those needs? And what about the
needs of the children?
How does custodia! care in an
Not only
in
industrialized
societies, but in
developing areas rising
numbers of
mothers are joining
the work force.
indifferent day-care environment
affect fragile, impressionable young
minds? Let's look at average day
care, hopefully with competent per–
sonnel and clean, properly fur–
nished facilities.
(It 's not our purpose here to
include the horror stories of the
tragically mismanaged day-care
facilities we've seen portrayed in
our newspapers and on television.
But we should not ignore tbese
dangers in the system.)
lnfants Learn Early
Human infants begin to learn at
birth- some experts believe infants
perceive informat ion even in the
womb. Before babies are a year old,
(Continued on page 28)
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