Day Care Health Article

Day Care

Care for infants, preschool, and school-aged children in institutional facilities and private (family) homes.

In the mid-1990s, it was estimated that nearly 50% of all American children will spend at least part of their childhood in a single-parent home, due to the rise in outof-wedlock births and divorce. In addition, the number of single-parent families and families where both parents are employed grew dramatically from 1965 to 1995. As a result, finding quality, affordable child care is a process faced by over half of all U.S. families.

Day care and family day care centers

Day care centers have emerged as an important option for care of infants, preschool, and school-age children. Day care facilities are mainly classified into two categories: the day care center, which is located in a public facility and equipped with a staff; and the family day care center, which is run in a home setting by a private caregiver. It is difficult to generalize about day care centers of either type, because structure, focus, and quality of care varies greatly. To help families in selecting day care, most states have regulations for licensing day care centers. A license is not a guarantee of quality care, but it does signify that the day care center meets certain standards of safety, group size, ratio of adults to children, and staff qualifications.

In 1990, the National Child Care Survey found that 49% of U.S. parents interviewed preferred institutional child care in contrast to home-based care (21%) or care by a relative (12%). Child care by relatives has been on a steady decline since 1965.