Child Care Services

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in the 1960s, in response to findings of the National Council of Jewish Women that child care services for the poor were inadequate, new quality child care initiatives, such as "Head Start" sponsored by the government for children living in poverty, began. The author points out that the child care provider, staffing, environment, safety services and relationships between the parents and care provider are important for child care to have a positive impact on the development of children. The paper relates that "comprehensive services", such as healthy nutrition, preventative health care, monitoring of child development, provision for sick children, consultation with outside specialists for individual and family needs, advocacy; services to children with disabilities and parent involvement programs, are valued in quality child care programs.

From the Paper:

"In order to ensure that children grow up in healthy environments we also need to address the emotional and psychological needs of the parent. "Children are far more likely to be deprived of their basic needs by parents who are depressed, who feel helpless and hopeless, than by parents who are depraved." Regardless of the focus of the media, the depression of the primary caregiver has a greater impact than whether two parents live in the home. Stress and depression play a greater role in neglect and abuse, than does poverty or single parenthood. A depressed parent is more apt to neglect the basic needs of the child in ways that are subtler."

More papers on Child Care Services:

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• Term Paper # 149672 : "Child Protection Services"

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