The author discusses the current status of family day care, including its demographics, organization, regulations, quality-control issues, and relevant research on its effects on children, families, and child-care workers. Family day care is a pervasive underground child-care system that merits far more attention by the social work profession in state and national child-care policy considerations. Social workers are in a unique position to help family-day-care providers enter mainstream child care in the United States.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AndersonE. (1986). Family day care provision: A legislative response. Child Care Quarterly, 15, 6–14.
2.
AtkinsonA. M. (1987). A comparison of mothers' and providers' preferences and evaluations of day care center services. Child and Youth Care Quarterly, 16, 35–47.
3.
BelskyJ. (1980). Future directions for day care research: An ecological analysis. Child Care Quarterly, 9, 82–99.
4.
BelskyJ., & SteinbergL. D. (1979). What does research teach us about day care: A follow-up report. Children Today, 8(4), 21–26.
5.
BerkL. E. (1985). Relationship of caregiver education to child-oriented attitudes, job satisfaction, and behaviors toward children. Child Care Quarterly, 14, 103–129.
6.
BjorkmanS.PoteatM., & SnowC. W. (1986). Environmental ratings and children's social behavior: Implications for the assessment of day care quality. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 271–277.
7.
Children's Foundation. (1990). The Children's Foundation: Providing practical answers to tough questions since 1969.Washington, DC: Author.
8.
Children's Foundation. (1993a). Facts about the Child Care Food Program in family day care.Washington, DC: Author.
9.
Children's Foundation. (1993b). 1993 family day care licensing study, family day care advocacy project, 1992.Washington, DC: Author.
10.
EmlenA. C.DonaghueB. A., & ClardsonQ. D. (1974). The stability of the family day care arrangement: A longitudinal study.Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University.
11.
EspinosaL. M. (1980). An ecological study of family day care. Dissertation Abstracts International, 41(3-A), 989.
12.
FlogeL. (1985). The dynamics of child-care use and some implications for women's employment. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 143–154.
13.
FrankelA. (1989). Teaching the three “R's” in family day care: Is it worth it?Argus, 3(3), 3–9.
14.
FrankelA. (1991a). Social work and day care: A role looking for a profession. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 8, 53–67.
15.
FrankelA. (1991b). The dynamics of day care. Families in Society, 72, 3–10.
16.
FrankelA., & RosensweigJ. (1993). Unregulated family day care in New Jersey: An examination of providers and parents.New Brunswick, NJ: School of Social Work, Rutgers University.
17.
FrankelA.VinciY., & MummA. M. (1993). Special needs and family day care: Problems and promise. Infants and Young Children, 6(2), 20–28.
18.
GambleT. J., & ZiglerE. (1986). Effects of infant day care: Another look at the evidence. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 26–42.
19.
GellertS., & FernandezH. C. (1989). Final report: Temple University training project, career and child care choices.Philadelphia: School of Social Administration, Temple University.
20.
GoldenM. (1978). The New York infant day care study.New York: Medical and Health Research Association of New York.
21.
GoodmanN., & AndrewsJ. (1981). Cognitive development of children in family and group day care. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 51, 271–284.
22.
HarrisA. E. (1978). Recent findings on infant socialization from North American research. International Social Science Journal, 31, 415–428.
23.
HaskinsR. (1989). Beyond metaphor: The efficacy of early childhood education. American Psychologist, 44, 274–282.
24.
HeinickeC. M.FriedmanD.PrescottE.PuncelC., & SaleJ. S. (1973). The organization of day care: Considerations relating to the mental health of child and family. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 43, 8–22.
25.
HoffmanL. W. (1989). Effects of maternal employment in the two-parent family. American Psychologist, 44, 283–292.
26.
HowesC., & OlenickM. (1986). Family and child care influences on toddlers' compliance. Child Development, 57, 202–216.
27.
JonesE., & PrescottE. (1982). Day care: Short or long term solution?Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 461, 91–101.
28.
KaganJ.KearsleyR. B., & ZelazoP. R. (1977). The effects of infant day care on psychological development. Evaluation Quarterly, 1, 109–142.
29.
KamermanS. B. (1985). Child care services: An issue for gender equity and women's solidarity. Child Welfare, 64, 259–271.
30.
KendallE. D., & WalderL. H. (1984). Day care licensing: The eroding regulations. Child Care Quarterly, 13, 278–290.
31.
KenneyL. F. (1936). How day care differs. Child Welfare, 15, 3–6.
32.
KleinJ., & LombardiJ. (1982). The CDA program. Children Today, 11(6), 2–5.
33.
KrentzM. S. (1982). Qualitative differences between mother–child and caregiver–child attachments of infants in family day care. Dissertation Abstracts International, 43(5-B), 1636.
34.
LawrenceM.BrownJ., & BellinD. (1989). Helping family day care providers stay in the business—retention strategies from the California child care initiative.San Francisco: California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.
35.
LindsayP., & LindsayC. H. (1987). Teachers in preschools and child care centers: Overlooked and undervalued. Child and Youth Care Quarterly, 16, 91–105.
36.
LongF. N. (1984). Discontinuity between home and family day care. Dissertation Abstracts International, 44(8-B), 2577.
37.
LowN. E. (1982). Family day care in early infancy: Effects on the infant–mother attachment relationship. Dissertation Abstracts International, 34(5-B), 1637.
38.
MooreJ. C. (1982). Parents' choice of day care services. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 461, 125–134.
39.
National Association for Family Day Care. (1989). Family day care accreditation, 1989.Washington, DC: Children's Foundation.
40.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1989a). NAEYC annual report.Washington, DC: Author.
41.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1989b). Setting standards for our profession. Pre-K Today, 4(2), 31–32.
42.
PardeckJ. T., & PardeckJ. A. (1985). The impact of day care on the preschool child: Research findings and implications. International Social Work, 28(3), 40–48.
43.
PortnoyF. C., & SimmonsC. H. (1978). Day care and attachment. Child Development, 49, 239–242.
44.
ReinhartR., & EvansJ. (1977). Family day care: Early identification of children with emotional disorders. Child Welfare, 56, 109–119.
45.
RoddriguezD., & AlbertM. (1981). Self-evaluation for family day care givers. Child Welfare, 60, 263–267.
46.
RoopnarineJ. L.MountsN. S., & CastoG. (1986). Mothers' perceptions of their children's supplemental care experience: Correlation with spousal relationship. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 581–588.
47.
RoseS. A. (1976). Independent family day care mothers in the black community. Dissertation Abstracts International, 37(3-A), 1834.
48.
RuoppR.TraversJ., & CoelenC. (1979). Children at the center (summary finding of the National Day Care Study).Cambridge, MA: ABT Books.
49.
RutterM. (1981). Social-emotional consequences of day care for preschool children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 51, 4–27.
50.
Siegel-GorelickB. S. (1981). The influence of caregiver competence fostering behavior and environmental complexity on children reared in family day care and at home. Dissertation Abstracts International, 41(8-B), 3164.
51.
SilverB., & GreenspanS. I. (1980). Personality characteristics of family day care mothers. Journal of Community Psychology, 8, 266–271.
52.
SmithA. N., & SpenceC. M. (1980). National Day Care Study: Optimizing the day care environment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 50, 718–721.
53.
StithS. M., & DavisA. J. (1984). Employed mothers and family day care substitute caregivers: A comparative analysis of infant care. Child Development, 55, 1340–1348.
54.
TurnerP. H., & GallegosB. (1984). A comparison of the day care needs, attitudes, and practices of intact and single parent families. Journal of Employment Counseling, 21, 19–30.
55.
VandellD. L., & PowersC. P. (1983). Day care quality and children's free play activities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 53, 493–500.
56.
WandersmanL. P. (1981). Ecological relationships in family day care. Child Care Quarterly, 10, 89–102.
57.
WashburnP. V., & WashburnJ. S. (1985). The four roles of the family day care provider. Child Welfare, 64, 547–554.
58.
WattenbergE. (1977). Characteristics of family day care providers: Implications for training. Child Welfare, 56, 211–229.
59.
WingetM.WingetW. G., & PopplewellJ. F. (1982). Including parents in evaluation of family day care homes. Child Welfare, 61, 195–205.
60.
YoungK. T., & ZiglerE. (1986). Infant and toddler day care: Regulations and policy implications. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 43–55.
