FHS-1500

February 13, 2018

Child Care
Question
If you were considering leaving your three-year-old child in a child care facility (family
day care or child care center), what would be your major concerns? Why? Would your concerns
be different, if your child were an infant? Explain. Would you prefer an academic or a child-
centered preschool for your child? Why?
Answer
With the scenario given, it would be hard to leave my three-year-old child in a child care
facility. I have many concerns when it comes to them, whether it is a family care center or child
care center. There have been a couple stories in the news where the children are mistreated in a
place their parents trusted that they would be well taken care of. Even if the facility is known to
have good personnel’s, it is never certain that your child will be okay in their care.
Sometimes parents are the one mistreating their own children so it is hard to trust
someone to take care of our children because they are not related to them and might not treat
them right or take good care of them. There are two ways that they could be mistreated, they are
known as child abuse or child neglect. The difference between them is that child abuse is
harming the child physically, emotionally, or sexually and child neglect is not meeting the
child’s needs, physically or emotionally (Berger, 2014, p. 232). Both of these are horrible
situations in which children shouldn’t have to be in but sadly they do happen and still keep
happening, although not as often.
If my three-year-old was an infant, I would still have the same concerns. I may not have
children of my own, but I have been around children pretty often to know that they require a lot
of patience. It is difficult to trust that someone will have the same patience with your child as
you do with them, especially if they are taking care of multiple infants.
When it comes to choosing a school for a child, the first thing in mind should be what is
best for the child’s interest. One of the five ways children learn how to talk, read, and listen.
Children who are in preschool programs “learn from teachers, songs, excursions, and other
children” (Berger, 2014, p.191). It should be beneficial to them and help them get prepared to
continue their education. There are two types of preschools, there is academic-centered preschool
and a child-centered preschool. Both schools teach the same age and ultimately may give them
the same result, but they do have their differences.
The programs that are known as child-centered is because they focus more on the
development of each child and their growth (Berger, 2014, p.194). For example, if the child
doesn’t know how to write their name, they would focus on ways to help them be able to do it on
their own. Each child would have their own goal since they are not all at the same stage when
they go into preschool. Some have already been taught by their parents at home before attending
school. A type of child-centered school is known as Montessori school, they “emphasize
individual pride and achievement, presenting many literacy-related tasks” (Berger, 2014, p.195).
Another child-centered program is called Reggio Emilia, it encourages the child’s creativity but
in a designed setting (Berger, 2014, p.195).
An academic centered school is also known as teacher-directed programs because they
“stress academics, often taught by one adult to the entire group” (Berger, 2014, 196). One of the
most known type of academic preschool is, Head Start. Most of the children who attend Head
start are in poverty, so their goal is to help them out of it and provide dental and immunizations
for them (Berger, 2014, p.197). This is beneficial to the parents who are struggling with finances
or in general, they would help the children not only academically, but physically, making sure
that they are in good health.
Both child-centered programs and academic programs are good for children, as long as
they are learning and being helped as well. The children would get similar experiences in both
when it comes to interacting with other children. I would personally choose to put my child in a
child-centered program, because they would focus on a main goal that they need are struggling
with.

Reference List
Berger, K. S., (2014), Invitation to the life span: special update for dsm-5(2nd ed.). New York,
NY: Worth Publishers.