In recent years, we have seen a growing need for good early years learning through childcare services, particularly among the growing middle class both in Kampala and other budding urban centres across the country.
Work Culture
The reasons for this are noticeably linked to the employment attachments that many working parents have. Specifically the changed work culture favouring more working women. Although a large number of people still hold reservations about sending their babies to a designated unit such as a daycare or child minder, the growing awareness and education on child development is slowly sinking in amongst the elite communities.
Targeted development
For many self-employed parents, staying home to look after their little ones seems understandably the most unquestionable decision although many studies indicate a potential deprive of many skills to the child especially if home childcare is not complemented with targeted development activities.
Taking children to a day-care or nursery from an early age, as early as six months, does more good than harm to the ultimate development of the child.
Apart from the palpable reason of keeping your little ones away from the potential unwatched cruelty of the uncaring housemaids, it is now ever more important to take your children to a formalised centre given the current societal changes.
It is the balance that every parent strives for – work, life and family. On one hand, two incomes are essential in the modern age and that means for pre-school children being cared for by someone other than their parents. But on the other, it means finding reliable childcare that is professional and nurturing, and one in which your child thrives. Good childcare is not only limited to a formal unit such as a day nursery or day-care, but can also include a well-trained nanny, loving relative such as a kaka (grandma) or childminder.
Stressed children
A recent study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analysed children and their stress levels. And it seems that according to this latest piece, some children find the long day at nursery very stressful.
For children who were in childcare for longer than eight hours, cortisol levels peaked in the afternoon, meaning they were the most stressed. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone that is linked to the control of mood, motivation and fear.
But before you use this to compound the feelings of guilt of dropping your little one at the nursery gate or childminder, the research team says that this doesn’t mean it is negative stress. As always, there are two sides to the story…
The argument of the effects of childcare on a child’s emotional and social development have raged for years. With many women choosing to return to work after birth, from the 1990s onwards mothers were at the thin end of the wedge when it came to childcare issues. The issue has been whether leaving your child with a house-help was the safest decision given the numerous tragedies associated with either domestic negligence or simply aggravated child cruelty. These increasingly elevating the need for professional childcare over home care. As a parent, your child’s immediate unusual responses towards you at the point of re-uniting during pickup (from nursery) or at your arrival at home should be your benchmark at raising any ‘red-flags’.
Longer-term studies have found that the effects of childcare are positive for the majority of children. Finally, the argument that children became more aggressive as a result of being in nursery was put to bed once and for all.