The Pediatrician's Role in Helping Parents With Out-of-Home Child Care

The purpose of this paper is to identify a variety of parental concerns about child care and to suggest ways in which pediatricians and child care specialists could help ensure that children receive the best care possible. Most parents are well aware that the decisions they make about their child's care are central to the child's well-being. Children in full-time care spend a significant portion of their day in the child care setting. Just as a good home is important to children's development, the quality of the child's day care will impact his or her physical health, mental development, and emotional security. Generally, parents choose a child care arrangement with the hope and belief that the care will be beneficial. Despite good intentions and much expended energy, the care of the child does not always turn out to be optimal. There are often competing concerns about cost and quality, and gaps between what is sought and what is available. Furthermore, many parents experience a high degree of stress about their child care. Some of the stress stems from the complicated logistics associated with getting their child to and from child care. Much of it, however, is caused by the underlying worry that the care may turn out to be detrimental to the child. Pediatricians and child care specialists could be of great help to parents, both in teaching them how to make better choices about child care and in alleviating much of the stress they feel about it. As a group, pediatricians are unique in that they have both wide access to parents and a high degree of credibility in terms of matters related to the welfare of children.