Daycare putting children at risk - Family First

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Wed, 08 Feb 2012 9:00a.m.

Family First's Bob McCoskrie

Family First's Bob McCoskrie

A family lobby group says parents who put their children into daycare are harming their children’s development and is calling for parents to better educate themselves on the risks.

Family First director Bob McCoskrie says New Zealand has one of the highest rates of day care in the OECD with 40 percent of children under the age of two in day care for 24 hours or more per week and a further 20 percent in daycare for 36 hours or more per week. He says these numbers are unacceptable.

“Full time parenting should be a child’s right, especially in those first couple of years,” Mr McCoskrie said to Firstline this morning.

The Family First director says parents need to know the benefits of staying at home with children.

“We are putting kids into daycare for extremely long periods of time,” he says.

“Parents haven’t been given the full facts, they’ve been told economic benefits of daycare, school readiness and outcomes but they haven’t been told the emotional and physiological benefits of children staying home with mum.”

Mr McCoskrie is urging parents to read a research paper by Dr Aric Sigman, released by his group, detailing these effects.

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Comments

12 Feb 2012 09:26a.m.

Naveena wrote:

The bottom line is we cannot simply afford to have one income with everything so expensive. Have you noticed cost of basic needs such as milk. As a mum myself you do not to tell me how it feels to leave young one in daycare, every morning the emotional rage I have to go during departure and telling young one how sorry I am to leave her when I collect her in the evening. We read about tsetse risk but who is doing what?

09 Feb 2012 11:37p.m.

Bob wrote:

The fact is that daycare is expensive, but its even more expensive to have one parent not work. either myself or my partner would love to stay at home with our baby but can not afford to, we are both in middle of the road paying jobs and do not live expensive lifestyles but the fact is, EVERYTHING is expensive now and at the same time we are trying to save for a house so we can have our own family home one day. There are alot of good things to come out of daycare however yes there is a downside, which is that we obviousley spend alot less time with our daughter.

09 Feb 2012 08:33a.m.

jan wrote:

what year is this? we are in 2012 not the 50's or 60's. I do however agree there is far to many childcare centres around. Those childcare centres then moan if there is a booze shop or a brothel by them. Personally I don't want to live near a school or a day care centre. If you have a kid then dam will look after it, don't palm it off to someone else then wonder why later your kid has gone off the rails. Mind you the quality of the people breeding today , probably means the kids will be bertrer off at the day care. Live somewhere cheaper. Don't buy all the latest gadgets for you or your kids or go on holiday. Now this is a generalised statement and everyone's circumstances are different. At the same time I don't think women should go back to being a stay at home person. A lot of theis nuclear family model is an invented one just like the teenager is. Think to ww1 and ww2 "kids of 12, 13 were working not being kept in schools until 18 then onto university. Every child is different and I believe not every one should go to child care. If teenagers dont seem to be dealt with after bashing another kid what hope for your child if another 2 year old hits your child thats the harmful part of day care. REMEMBER daycare and kindergarten is NOT compulsary. Family first are trying to bethe moral political party, i wouldn't vote for them with there sexist attitude, although I can see what they mean.

08 Feb 2012 08:34p.m.

bukster wrote:

Do I have to state the obvious? This report was sponsored by a conservative values lobby group. Of course they are going to say things like this. Remember all those reports from tobacco companies explaining how tobacco isn't addictive and doesn't cause cancer? This report should be seen in much the same light.