1 Why Home Based Child Care?

“Penelope Leach, British Child Psychologist and renowned author states, “The evidence shows that babies do a great deal better in more domestic-scale day care. It’s infinitely more difficult to look after three babies adequately (as in a centre) then it is to look after one baby and a toddler and a couple of preschool children (a family grouping).” Otto Weininger, Child Psychologist and Today’s Parent columnist agrees, “… in the first two years of life, it is important for a child to have a secure relationship with a single caregiver”.

Home child care refers to a child being cared for in a home versus an institutional style center. Home child care often appeals to parents who want to keep their child in a warm, friendly, homelike environment with all the comforts and security of a home setting as well as other children to play and socialize with. Care givers are known as Providers and vary widely in race, age, education, family income, and marital status.

Homle Child Care Benefits:

• An intimate “family-style” setting where children develop close relationships with each other and their caregiver. Parents can find a home that’s similar to their environment.
• Siblings can be in the same caregiver home.
• A child’s individual needs are more easily met in a smaller group setting.
• Home child care is more flexible to be able to accommodate varied hours of care.

Typically home child care businesses are run by private individuals. Private Providers cannot obtain a licensed status in most Canadian provinces. This is assigned to an accredited child care agency. Licensing requirements vary by province as well. Some are less rigid for home child care than they are for childcare centers. Private Providers may have little or no background in early childhood education and developmental resources, something most licensed agencies or centers can boast.

“While many unlicensed or informal home day care Providers do a very good job, the absence of regulatory safeguards or of a back-up Provider should the home child care Provider fall ill or be otherwise unavailable are two of the major reasons many po rents prefer licensed child care.” – ADCO