© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.. 23 Child Care and Education in Group Settings.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.


23Child Care and Education

in Group Settings


Key Terms

• child care programs• in-home child care• au pairs• nannies• family child care• center-based child

care• for-profit programs• not-for-profit

programs

• work-related child care programs

• school-age child care (SACC) programs

• child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies

• child development laboratories

• Head Start

continued


Key Terms

• Montessori schools• kindergartens• private programs• fingerplays• regulations• public programs• adult-child ratio• developmentally

appropriate practices (DAPs)

• developmentally inappropriate practices (DIPs)

• field trips• culture shock• bias• hidden added costs• hidden cost credits


Objective

• Trace the history of the major types of group programs for young children.


Types of Group Programs

• Child care programs• Child development laboratories• Head Start• Preschool (pre-kindergarten) programs• Montessori schools• Kindergartens• Primary schools


Child Care Programs

• Child care programs are programs that operate to care for children for extended hours– often operate between 9–12 hours a day– provide basic care for children when

parents are not available

• Many programs are providing education as well as care services


Historical Overview

• European Infant Schools– late 1700s to early 1800s– served poor children until age five or six

when they entered the workforce

• U.S. programs for poor families– middle of nineteenth century, urban areas– included education for parents

continued


Historical Overview

• Federal funds aided programs during– Great Depression of 1929– WWII (1941–1945 for U.S.)

• child care programs declined after WWII

• Women entered the workforce– 1960s– care programs increased, poor quality


Types of Child Care Programs

In-homechild care

Familychild care

Center-basedchild care

School-agechild care


In-Home Child Care

• In-home child care takes place in the child’s own home

• May be provided by parents, relatives, or nonrelatives

• Among dual-career parents,– about 27% of children under age five

are cared for by a parent– a little more than one-fourth of children

are cared for by a relative

continued


In-Home Child Care

• Small percentage of children receive in-home care from nonrelatives– housekeepers often take care of the

children and clean the house– au pairs provide care for children as part

of a cultural exchange program– nannies may live in the home or come to

the home daily• generally have specific training in child care


Family Child Care

• Family child care is provided by a person for a small number of children in his or her own home

• May be run like a child care center• About 13% of children are in family

child care• May offer more flexible hours• May not be regulated


Center-Based Child Care

• Center-based child care is a large group program in which child care is provided in a center (not a home)

continued



• About 29% of children under age five with working parents are in center-based child care

• Centers differ in the number of children they serve

• State licensing laws set the standards for all aspects of center-based child care programs

continued



• For-profit programs are set up to make money

• Not-for-profit programs make only enough profit to pay expenses

• Work-related child care programs are sponsored by businesses for their employees’ children


School-Age Child Care (SACC) Programs

• School-age child care (SACC) programs provide care for 5- to 14-year-olds when school is out

• Includes before and after school, holidays, vacations, and during the summer

• Majority affiliated with schools or programs serving youth

continued


School-Age Child Care (SACC) Programs

• Provide care, recreation, diversion (crafts, drama, field trips), education


Trends in Child Care Programs

• More infant and toddler care• Growth in SACC programs• Growth in work-related child care

programs• Growth in child care resource and

referral (CCR&R) agencies, which promote local programs and help parents find child care


Child Development Laboratories

• Child development laboratories provide education and physical care for children under age five– formerly called nursery schools

• Serve as research sites for child development experts– part of research and teaching universities

• Directed by child development experts


Head Start

• Head Start is a federally sponsored program launched to meet the needs of children from low-income families

• Includes an educational component for parents

• Early Head Start serves children from birth through 35 months


Preschool Programs

• Preschool programs usually refer to state-funded programs for three- and four-year-olds from families of low-income– also called pre-

kindergartens

continued


Preschool Programs

• Some states offer universal preschools for all income levels

• Majority of children in preschools are in public school settings, but some attend Head Start


Montessori Schools

• Montessori schools encourage children to learn independently through the use of highly specialized materials rather than direct input from teachers– self-correcting materials aid children’s

independent work

continued


Montessori Schools

• Sensory learnings are a major focus• Each child is in charge of his or her

own learning


Kindergartens

• Kindergartens are educational programs for four- and five-year-olds

• In the U.S., they are part of each state’s public education system

• Serves as an entrance to school education and gives children the chance to play and develop through various activities

continued


Kindergartens

• Rooted in Friedrich Froebel’s German private programs (programs owned by individuals, churches, others)– enrolled children from ages three to

seven years– provided teaching suggestions for

mothers with younger children– taught children without the rote

academic learning used for older children

continued


Kindergartens

– planned many of the activities in use today

• examples: building blocks, beads, art materials, sand, fingerplays (poems/rhymes acted out with the hands)


Primary School Programs

• Kindergarten to age nine

• U.S. mandates attendance

• Each state sets learning standards


What Do You Think?

• Why do you think it is helpful to study the history of child care programs?


Objective

• Describe what to look for when choosing a quality program.


Choosing a Group Program

• Regulations• Housing and equipment• Staff• Parent communication and

participation• Program activities• Cultural diversity

continued


Choosing a Group Program

• Care for children with special needs

• Other considerations

• Quality of group programs


Regulations

• Regulations are standards that govern a group program– some regulations apply to all programs,

some only to public programs (those funded by government)

• Accredited programs have met even higher standards of quality through a professional organization


Housing and Equipment

• Varies with the program goals• Should meet the needs of the

children in the program• Should be safe and meet health

standards• Should be sanitary• Should provide adequate space for

comfort and activities


Staff

• Adult-child ratio is the number of adults per number of children

• Numbers vary from state to state• Numbers for group size and children

per adult should be reduced if children with special needs are included

continued


Staff

Age of children

Groupsize

Adult-child ratio

0 to 1 year 6 1:3

1 to 2 years 8 1:4

2 to 3 years 12 1:6

3 to 6 years (excluding first grade)

18 1:9


Parent Communication and Participation

• Teachers and caregivers should– convey the importance of parents– know about each family they serve– find ways to work with parents as a team– know the ways in which parents prefer to

communicate with and participate in their children’s group program


Program Activities

• Developmentally appropriate practices (DAPs) uses knowledge of– child development– each child’s strengths, needs, interests,

and culture

• Opposite of DAPs are developmentally inappropriate practices (DIPs)

continued


Program Activities

DAPs include

Languagelearnings

Sociallearnings

Mathlearnings

Creativefun

Sciencelearnings

Motorskills

continued


Program Activities

• Many programs invite adults to share special skills– may be parents of children in program

• Field trips take children to places off the program’s property– fun way to learn about the community


Cultural Diversity in Group Programs

• Affirm each child’s identity• Respect diversity by making the

program culturally rich– cultural shock may occur if children

have an uncomfortable response to unfamiliar cultures

• Help children learn that bias (unfair treatment) hurts


Child Care and Education for Children with Special Needs

• Inclusion is practiced– children with special needs are placed in

classrooms with other children, while providing help for children who need it

– diversity of all types is seen as positive

• Environment must be arranged• Some activities must be adapted for

children with special needs


Other Considerations

• Special services may be needed

• Families often spend at least 10% of their total gross income on child care

continued


Other Considerations

• Hidden added costs are costs that add to the direct costs of child care– transportation, supplies, disposable

diapers, services or items donated to a child care program

• Hidden cost credits are credits that lower direct costs of child care– money from a second income, child-

care tax credits


Quality of Group Programs

• Signs of low-quality programs– parents cannot visit the program

without asking in advance– staff members are not trained to work

with young children– program does not take special interest

in children’s needs – adults push children to perform above

their abilities, causing them stress


Objective

• Explain the effects of group care and education on children’s development.


Effects of Group Care on Children

• Effects on health– centers that enroll more than 50 children

seem to have more illnesses

• Effects on mental development – little effect on the mental development of

children from middle-class homes– programs targeting children from low-

income homes need follow-up

continued


Effects of Group Care on Children

• Effects on social development– bonds between children and families are

not affected– contact with peers tends to increase

aggression in children• teachers’ response to aggression is key• parents can reduce possible aggression-

promoting influences by limiting exposure to media portrayals of aggression


Objective

• Describe ways to help children adjust to group settings.


Helping Children Adjust to Group Care

• Make adjustment seem casual• Explain the program to children• If children do not adapt, the cause of

stress should be investigated– unannounced visits– discussion with teachers


What Do You Think?

• What do you think are the five most important considerations when choosing child care?


• adult-child ratio. Number of adults per number of children in a group setting.

• au pairs. Professionals who provide child care for host families as part of a cultural exchange program.

• bias. Belief or feeling that results in unfair treatment of another person or makes such treatment seem right.

Glossary of Key Terms


• center-based child care. Large group program in which child care is provided in a center rather than in a home.

• child care programs. Programs that operate to care for children for extended hours (usually between 9 and 12 hours a day).



• child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies. Agencies that promote local child care programs and help parents find child care.

• child development laboratories. Child care programs for children under age five that serve as research sites for child development experts.



• culture shock. Uncomfortable response to an unfamiliar culture.

• developmentally appropriate practices (DAPs). Child care and education that uses knowledge about child development and considers each child’s strengths, needs, interests, and culture.



• developmentally inappropriate practices (DIPs). Child care and education that do not use knowledge about child development and focus mainly on the group instead of each child.

• family child care. Care provided by a person for a small number of children in his or her own home.



• field trips. Outings that take children to places away from a child care program’s property.

• fingerplays. Poems and rhymes that are acted out with the hands.

• for-profit programs. Programs set up to make money.



• Head Start. Federally sponsored program that was launched to meet the needs of children from low-income families.

• hidden added costs. Costs of child care that add to the direct costs.

• hidden cost credits. Credits that lower the direct costs of child care.



• in-home child care. Child care that takes place in the child’s own home.

• kindergartens. Programs publicly and privately operated for four-and five-year-old children; serve as an entrance to school education.



• Montessori schools. Schools that encourage children to learn independently through the use of highly specialized materials.

• nannies. Professionals who contract with a family to provide in-home child care.

• not-for-profit programs. Child care programs in which income only covers costs.



• private programs. Programs owned by individuals, churches, or other nongovernment groups.

• public programs. Child care programs funded by local, state, or federal government.

• regulations. Standards that govern a group program.



• school-age child care (SACC) programs. Programs that provide child care for 5- to 14-year-olds when school is not in session.

• work-related child care programs. Child care programs funded by businesses for their employees’ children.


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© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.. 23 Child Care and Education in Group Settings.

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