Child care today : what we know and what we need to know / Penelope Leach.
Material type: TextPublication details: Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity, 2009.Description: x, 350 p. ; 24 cmISBN:- 0745647006
- 9780745647005
- 362.7 LEA
Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard Loan | Moylish Library Main Collection | 362.7 LEA (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 39002100403550 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Child care is the 21st century's biggest unsolved conundrum: children's needs have not changed, but in a world that puts a premium on paid employment and personal fulfilment, who should, who can, and who wants to meet them?
Children's wellbeing - even survival - depends as it always has on somebody taking care of them every minute of every day and night. When most mothers and fathers are in paid employment, much of the day-to-day hands-on care of children has to be done by someone else. But who is to do that caring, and who should bear the costs?
In this book Penelope Leach, a world renowned expert on child development and parenting issues and co-director of the UK's largest child care study, offers an honest evaluation of these complex issues. She considers the view points of politicians, parents, and children themselves, and summarises what international research can tell us about the effects of different kinds of care on families and children.
Economic recession lends the book additional urgency. Must employed parents work even longer hours to protect their jobs and incomes? Will governments retreat from family friendly policies such as paid parental leave and flexible working to protect small businesses? For Leach, what matters most is recognising that children's care is not just the responsibility of parents, often struggling to be in two places at once, but is intrinsic to the well-being of the whole of society. Child care is a problem not just for families, but for nations.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [301]-337) and index.
pt. 1: Child care today. The context for child care -- The issues -- How much child care? What kinds and where? -- Parents and child care -- pt. 2: Types of child care. Introduction : family care, the baseline -- Shared care by mothers and fathers -- Care by full-time mothers -- Fathers as principal care providers -- Grandparent care -- Care by nannies, au pairs, and other in-home child care providers -- Introduction : formal care -- Family day care -- Child care centers or nurseries -- Integrated care and education : children\'s centers and extended schools -- pt. 3: Quality of care. Introduction : quality of care from various viewpoints -- Quality of care from research viewpoints -- Quality of care from parents\' viewpoints -- Quality of care from children\'s viewpoints -- Choosing child care -- pt. 4: Moving on. Introduction : Is better child care a priority? -- Politics and policies, models and money -- Families and child care -- Some signposts to the way forward for politicians, policy makers, and professionals -- Some signposts to the way forward for parents and children.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Introduction
- Part 1 Child Care Today
- 1 The Context of Child Care
- 2 The Issues
- 3 How Much Child Care? What Kinds and Where?
- 4 Parents and Child Care Part Two: Types of Child Care Introduction: Family Care, the Baseline
- 5 Shared Care by Mothers and Fathers
- 6 Care by Full-Time Mothers
- 7 Fathers as Principal Care Providers
- 8 Grandparent Care
- 9 Care by Nannies, Au Pairs, and Other In-Home Child Care Providers Introduction: Formal Care
- 10 Family Day care
- 11 Child Care Centers or Nurseries
- 12 Integrated Care and Education: Children s Centers and Extended Schools Part Three: Quality of Care Introduction: Quality of Care from Various Viewpoints
- 13 Quality of Care from Research Viewpoints
- 14 Quality of Care from Parents Viewpoints
- 15 Quality of Care from Children s Viewpoints
- 16 Choosing Child Care Part Four: Moving On Introduction: Is Better Child Care a Priority?
- 17 Politics and Policies, Models and Money
- 18 Families and Child Care
- 19 Some Signposts to the Way Forward for Politicians, Policy Makers, and Professionals
- 20 Some Signposts to the Way Forward for Parents and Children Acknowledgments Notes Index