In America, two thirds of the mothers with children under the age of six work (Kay, 2005).

A strong majority of these children are put in daycare. Interestingly enough, daycare systems were unheard of in America before World War II began (Kay, 2005). Anymore, child care is one of the fastest growing home businesses (Becoming a Child Care Provider, 2011). In the state of Indiana, a licen sed child care home is defined as follows: a residential structure in which at least six (6) children (not including the children for whom the provider is a parent, stepparent, guardian, custodian, or other relative or any child who is at least fourteen (14) years of age and does not require child care) at any time receive child care from a provider: (1) while unattended by a parent, legal guardian, or custodian; (2) for regular compensations; and (3) for more than four (4) hours but less than twenty-four (24) hours in each of ten (10) consecutive days per year, excluding intervening Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. (Indiana State Requirements, 2012) There are two types of child care homes and those are class I child care homes and class II child care homes. According to the Interpretative Guide for Child Care Home Rules page 67 and 68, class II child care homes are larger than class I homes because they serve more than 12 children. There are several different types of child care offered today. Choosing the one that best fits the child is very important. For some parents, this means in-home daycares. Many states require the daycare be regulated if it is caring for more than four children. Every state sets minimum health, safety, and nutrition standards for the provider to follow through on. Thankfully, most (but not necessarily all) states require a criminal background check be done on the in-home daycare provider along with child abuse and/or neglect clearance. Just like with teachers, numerous states require the provider to keep up on their training, aside from the pre-training. Family child care inspections are held either annually or unsystematically

(Family Child Care, 2012). In the state of Indiana, teaching staff must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent. However, if the staff member is caring for infants or toddlers, they must be at least 21 years old and hold a high school diploma or the equivalent. They also must have one year of experience. In order to become a licensed child care provider, the individual must attend the first two-hour long orientation training. The person must also be in attendance at the three and a half hour long orientation training number two. An in home inspection takes place, therefore preparing for it would be wise. The second orientation provides an inspection checklist along with a rules guide. Orientation number two also provides an application for home licensure. Having the correct documentation and training for all the caregivers is an important step to completing stage four. The next step is to submit the completed application and documentation. This information will be sent to a licensing consultant. Once this information has been received, the licensing consultant will call to schedule an appointment for inspection. The licensing consultant will then follow through with carrying out the home inspection (Becoming a Child Care Provider, 2011). Child Care Aware conducted a nationwide survey in 2010 pertaining to the policies of licensing standards. Most of the parents, 89 percent, were in favor of requiring daycares to be licensed and inspected regularly for health and safety (Effective Inspection Policies Promote Childrens Safety and Healthy Development in Child Care, 2012). In Indiana, operating a child care home that is supposed to be licensed but is not is a class B Misdemeanor. The home child care provider could be faced with a heavy fine of up to $100 per day that they were in operation without a license (Becoming a Child Care Provider, 2011). The quality of the daycare is what parents are looking for. Quality daycares know their limits. The smaller the adult to child ratio is the better. The smaller the provider/child ratio is the more one on one attention the child gets. The National

Association for the Education of Young Children advises home daycare providers to take on no more than two babies under the age of 30 months, no more than five children under the age of five, and no more than two additional school aged children. Only if they have an assistant should the provider take on more children. The actual ratio for family childcare in Indiana is one adult to four or six babies depending upon the age of the baby and if they are able to walk or not. Unfortunately, quality daycares excepting infants are difficult to find. One adult is assigned to ten children from birth to age six. Again this number of young children may vary depending upon the age of the children. If the children range in age from three to ten years old, then one adult is needed for the twelve children. The maximum number of children allowed in an inhome daycare is twelve plus three more children during the school year who are in at least first grade (Indiana State Requirements, 2012). Another sign of a quality home daycare is whether or not it has been accredited by the National Association for Family Child Care. The process to become credited can take up to three years. Accreditation comes at a price too, costing the provider several hundreds of dollars. In order to become ac credited by the National Association for Family Child Care, the home receives an in-person visit from the association (BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board, 2012). Some may wonder what the advantages and disadvantages of in-home daycares may be compared to that of daycare centers. A quality trait of in-home daycares that many parents like is the mixed-aged groups. Having mixed-aged groups in the daycare represents more of the structure of a family. It is even thought to help children feel more comfortable around children of an older age. Rather than being in an institutional day care center, in-home daycares give off more of a homey vibe. Other than relative care, in-home daycares tend to be the less expensive childcare option. They are usually more flexible in their drop off and pick up times as

well. Some daycare centers are known for charging the parent/s for every minute they are late picking up their child. At the in-home daycare I am helping at right now, we have some parents who will come 15 minutes late, after the designated pick up time. Parents were aware of the pick up times in the contract they signed with Barb at the beginning of the school year too. An inhome daycares hours are also better in the sense that they are open more times out of the year. Some daycare centers are closed on special holidays. Another known reason why some parents choose in-home daycares over daycare centers is because many of the in-home daycare providers are parents themselves (BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board, 2012). They know the tricks of the trade. Many of my fellow high school classmates seem to have either ful l time or part time jobs at a daycare center. I do not think any of them are parents themselves. Not all parents see the good side of in-home daycares though. In in-home daycare settings, the case usually leads to the provider having no formal childcare background or early education training. Licensing requirements vary among the states, but the requirements to run an in-home daycare are rather lenient. In an assessment by Child Care Aware of America the average score for small family child care homes, consisting of up to six children, was only 46 percent! This assessment concluded that family child care in the United Stated lags behind in state inspection standards, background checks, training requirements, early learning standards, and basic health and safety standards. Another drawback of in-home daycares is if the daycare provider happened to be sick or simply wanted a vacation day off. If this is the case, backup providers may not be on hand, leaving the parents to find a substitute for their childs care (BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board, 2012). Not only in-home daycares, but daycares in general have a problem with health and sanitation. Germs get spread easier in areas with a concentration of children. Even though daycares have a strict sick child

policy, some parents still get around it by giving their children Tylenol before bringing them to the daycare (Kay, 2005). The procedure is so common that daycare workers are actually beginning to ask the children if they received any medicine prior to their arrival. Some scientist would argue that children in daycare struggle more with the issues of disobedience and aggression. Cortisol levels were found to be higher in children attending daycare versus the levels of children cared for at home. High levels of cortisol result in high stress levels (Kay, 2005). I help at an in-home daycare attended by teachers children. Thinking it was going to be an easy job, I soon found out otherwise. These children get just as upset as any other child does. Rather than using their words, they tend to use their hands and feet, sometimes even their teeth. The Interpretative Guide for Child Care Home Rules is filled with valuable information pertaining to in-home daycares. The packet covers areas from discipline and nutrition in the child care homes to the duties related to missing children and parental visits. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) held a study beginning in 1991 that evaluat ed child care arrangements and how childrens development is affected as a result of the care. The study looked at the childrens social, emotional, intellectual, and language development, as well as their physical growth and health. The SECCYD linked four major finding to the childrens development. The higher the quality of care was, the better the outcome of the child was. These children exhibited better language and cognitive development. Higher quality care children were also more cooperative. Behavior problems surfaced in children who spent more time in child care verses those who spent fewer hours in the setting. The third major finding was that the impact of child care type or setting was different for children of different ages (Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), 2010). The last major finding was that the

parent and family characteristics played a larger role in the childs development than any aspect of the child care (Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), 2010).

References BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board. (2012). Home daycare: Advantages and disadvantages. Baby Center. Retrieved from http://www.babycarecenter.com Child Care Aware. (2012). Family child care. Child Care Aware of America. http://childcareaware.org Child Care Aware of America. (2012). 2012 leaving children to chance (child care homes). Child Care Aware of America. Retrieved from http://www.naccrra.org Child Care Aware of America. (2012, August). Effective inspection policies promote childrens safety and healthy development in child care. White Paper, (1-11). Daycare.com. (2012). Indiana state requirements. Daycare.com. Retrieved from http://daycare.com Interpretative guide for child care home rules. (1-74). Kay, J .(2005). The mommy wars. Commentary, p. 82+. Retrieved from Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. National Institutes of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. (14 June 2010). Study of early child care and youth development (SECCYD). National Institutes of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. Retrieved from http://www.nichd.nih.gov The Child Care Resource Network. (2011). Becoming a child care provider. The Child Care

Resource Network. Retrieved from http://www.thechildcareresou rcenetwork.org