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- Caregivers in center-based care may be better educated
and may have received more specialized training than caregivers
in home-based care, but not always - ask about the educational
background of the provider or specific teachers in your
child’s age group.
- Center-based programs usually have a substitute pool
so if a teacher is sick or on vacation, a substitute teacher
can fill in for the day.
- Family Child Care Homes usually have fewer children per adult.
- Family Child Care Homes usually have smaller group sizes.
- Family Child Care Homes usually have fewer infants and toddlers.
- Family child Care Homes may have more mixed-age groupings
and more interactions between siblings.
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- Center-based child care often feels and looks like an
institution and is usually located in large facilities
- Family Child Care is generally regarded as more natural
and has similar surroundings to the child’s own home.
- Family Child Care is often more flexible in serving mildly-ill children.
- Family Child Care is more likely to offer longer hours
and evening and weekend care.
- Family Child Care is more likely to allow flexible schedules
and allow for daily adjustments to the schedule (parent
may call and ask if the child can stay longer than scheduled
or not be charged extra if picked-up early).
- Children in home-based care may watch considerably more
television and may have fewer informative interactions with
caregivers.
- Children in center-based programs may be exposed to an
educationally enriched curriculum that encourages literacy,
language development, social and emotional development or
may be exposed to a rigid academic curriculum which may
be developmentally inappropriate and which can add stress
and discourage future success.
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- The typical cost savings of home-based care vs. center-based
care is about $8-$12 per week, or $400-$650 per year.
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- The effects of Child Care, both negative and positive,
have proven to be long lasting.
- Children who receive poor-quality care as infants and
toddlers have been rated as less compliant and self-regulated
as preschoolers.
- High-Quality Child Care is associated with children displaying
more complex play, less hostility, and better peer relationships.
New studies have proven that children in good quality child
care programs do better in kindergarten and have overall
better success in elementary school.
- Children in good quality child care consistently demonstrate
better vocabularies, receptive language, and mathematics
skills.
Both center-based child care and Family Child Care Homes
offer advantages and disadvantages. Each individual family
must make a choice based on individual preference and what
is best for your child(ren). Most important, whatever your
choice, choose a high quality program with low adult-to-child
ratios, and with trained caregivers who offer loving, caring
and developmentally appropriate curriculum.
See discussion on High Quality Child Care.
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