What causes parents to struggle with child care versus home care? Perhaps it is the horror stories they hear about the mistreatment of children, the guilt parents experience if their child’s early years were not spent at home with mom or it can be the strong emotional attachment some parents develop that is so strong that they cannot bear anyone else to watch their child.
Studies show quality of care and relationships with caregivers make a big difference. There is encouraging research that when children are cared for at home for the first nine to eighteen months and have high-quality care situations, they do much better in childcare. Evidence also shows that these children have better relationships with teachers and do not have cortisol changes than those who started childcare at six weeks.