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Quotes
from books about daycare -
2005-2006,
p12
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Book |
Quote/Comment |
Raising Babies:
Should under 3s go to nursery?
by Steve Biddulph,
©2005, p. 131-132 |
While researching this book, I talked to
nursery-care (day-care) staff in centres all over the world. Their honesty
was often stunning -- it was as if they had been waiting to tell someone the
dark truth about what they really thought:
- I care about
these kids, but 'I don't love them.'
- 'I care for
them, but it does get on top of you after a while. Sometimes I hate them.'
- 'It's very
stressful here, we have staff changing all the time.'
- 'I wouldn't have
my own child here.'
- 'We do the best
we can'.
Category = Caregiver |
Raising Babies:
Should under 3s go to nursery?
by Steve Biddulph,
©2005, p. 132-133 |
Today the money motive is much stronger
in the nursery (daycare) world and this invariably creates a tension.
Consequently, savings are sometimes made through inadequate staffing,
cost-cutting on resources.
Governments try to prevent this by accreditation schemes and quality
guidelines, but the result is often a kind of smoke and mirrors*
game. In Australia recently, disgruntled employees of one large corporate
chain told ABC Radio about a large van carrying extra play equipment, and
extra staff, which would arrive at a centre a few days before a scheduled
inspection. When the inspection was over, they would pack up the extra
goodies, move on and things would go back to normal.
*Smoke and
Mirrors--a magician's illusion.
Category = Economics, Quality |
Raising Babies:
Should under 3s go to nursery?
by Steve Biddulph,
©2005, p. 133 |
Shortcutting on staffing numbers, nappy
(diaper) supplies, food quality, crowding, cleaning, low pay for staff,
using unqualified staff, are all natural tendencies when profit is the
driving force. Caring takes effort and it is often unrewarded, and so easily
goes into decline. The consumers want childcare to be cheap, yet cheap and
quality cannot go together. If it is quality, it is going to cost a lot.
There is simply no way around this reality.
Category = Economics, Quality |
Raising Babies:
Should under 3s go to nursery?
by Steve Biddulph,
©2005, p. 155-156 |
…in the traditional blue-collar regions
of the UK, organizers found it almost impossible to find parents to take up
the nursery (day-care) places available. A centre director told the
Guardian newspaper:
Parents around here don't want to use day nurseries -- they don't want to
leave their children with people they don't know. This is their precious
child and they don't want to hand them over to strangers.
We're registered and inspected by Ofsted* and we have qualifications, but
they don't trust all that."
*Ofsted = Office
For Standards in Education
Category =
Caregiver, Economics, Quality |
Raising Babies:
Should under 3s go to nursery?
by Steve Biddulph,
©2005, p. 157 |
Blue collar parents are much more
reluctant to use nurseries (daycares) than the middle classes. So are
immigrant parents and refugees. A higher value is placed on family cohesion
among the poor and often it is all that stands between them and
annihilation. Many US daycare centres now deliberately recruit staff from
(these) backgrounds because these young women tend to be more loving,
tender, patient and good humoured -- more natural and good with children.
Parents prefer them.
Category = Politics |
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Last updated:
02/27/2008
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