Day care is a service in which children or dependent adults are cared for by someone other than their normal caregiver. Women have traditionally cared for their children and for other dependent relatives. Since the 1960’s, however, more and more women have found jobs outside the home. The number of families with only one parent has also increased. Because of these changes, the demand for day care has risen.
Day care for children
is also called child care. Many working parents with younger children enroll them in a child-care center. At such a nonhome site, a group of children receives care and supervision from adults. Parents may also place children in a family child-care home. In family child care, an adult cares for a small group of children in his or her own home. Some parents obtain child care by hiring a sitter or nanny. These caregivers come to, or live in, the family home. Other parents rely on friends, neighbors, or relatives to care for their children while they work.
Some working parents who have school-age children cannot be home when the children go to school and when they come home. Their children may need before- and after-school care. Before- and after-school day-care programs may be offered in the school the child attends, a child-care or youth center, or a family child-care home. School-age children may also be cared for before or after school in their own home, or the home of a friend, neighbor, or relative. In many areas, care for school-age children is hard to find or expensive. For this reason, many children care for themselves before or after school.
Government support of child care
varies from country to country. Most child-care programs in the United States and Canada are run by individuals or nongovernment organizations. The United States has only a few child-care programs funded by state governments or federal agencies. Many people can, however, receive a credit on their U.S. income tax based on the cost of care for their children or for dependent adults. Canada’s Universal Child Care Plan provides government assistance for child-care costs.
The United Kingdom has several government child-care programs, including free early learning and Sure Start Children’s Centres. The Australian government offers child-care benefits and rebates to some parents.
Employer-supported child care.
In the United States, Canada, and some other countries, many employers offer benefits to help working parents care for their children and other dependents. Common benefits include part-time working hours, flexible schedules, flexible spending accounts (special, tax-free savings accounts), and unpaid leave. Some employers have child-care centers at the workplace. Others help working parents find and pay for day care outside the workplace.
Day care for the elderly
is also called senior day care. Some communities have senior day-care centers. Many elderly people are assisted by home-care aides. These aides come to the home of elderly adults to help them with personal care and household chores.
