‘Who Will Watch Our Children?’
DAY-CARE centers throughout the world are a product of the unprecedented influx of women into the job market. “The fastest-growing group in the labor market,” says day-care expert Alison Clarke-Stewart, “is mothers of preschool children, particularly children under three. This trend is pronounced and worldwide.”
Finding someone dependable to look after the children while mother works, however, may be easier said than done. Relatives rarely volunteer. Complicated networks of sitters—formed by recruiting friends and neighbors—often prove precarious at best and bewildering to the children. Reliable paid sitters and nannies are hard to come by—and too expensive for most couples.
The situation is no less frustrating in developing lands. Nigerian women simply used to carry their infants on the back while working. But increasing numbers of African women have forsaken domestic or farm work for jobs in offices, stores, and factories where the strap-baby-on-the-back method is inappropriate. In times past, the women could always call upon their extended families for a handy baby-sitter. But, explains the Sunday Times of Lagos, Nigeria, “with free primary education and availability of more manual, unskilled jobs, the last residue of [relatives available] to sit babies at home went too.” Suggested this newspaper: “Well organised Day Care Centres may be the answer.”
Yes, day-care homes and centers are rapidly becoming the child-care option of choice. After all, they are generally dependable, convenient, and cheaper than a hired sitter. They allow children to associate with a group of peers. They provide nutritious meals, along with recreational and educational programs. As day-care consultant Delores Alexander told Awake!: “Day care is a support to the whole family.”
Nevertheless, some fear that the current move toward day care may have ominous implications for children. Are there legitimate reasons for such concerns? Parents need to know so that they can make an informed decision when it comes to their own children.