Choosing Quality Child Care
When we see a baby, it is our natural reaction to coo and coddle the baby saying, “Aww, how sweet!” or “Oh, how adorable.” The incredible fact is that while we are making over the baby’s cuteness, the baby’s brain is developing faster and more than it ever will again! Ninety percent of brain development, including cognitive function, language & speech, seeing & hearing occurs between birth and 5 years of age. This development reaches its peak between one and two years of age. It is because of this critical time for brain development that access to quality early learning care is so vitally important.
Children can learn 80% of their vocabulary in these formative years. Research shows that the number of words an infant hears each day may be the single most important predictor of later intelligence and economic and social success. Unfortunately, this same research shows that the number of words a child hears varies greatly by the socio-economic status of their parents. For example, children of professional parents hear around 2,100 words an hour, while children whose parents are on welfare hear less than half that number. The number of words heard is connected to the development of a child’s vocabulary. The vocabulary of low-income children when they enter kindergarten is between 300 and 500 words, while middle and upper-middle income children enter with a 3,000-word vocabulary- almost 10 times as large as their low-income peers.
Although parents are their child’s first teacher, the time a child spends in child care is a significant factor in their brain development. Selecting a child care setting is one of the most important decisions a parent will make because choosing quality child care is essential for children to reach their potential. Research shows that children who attend high quality child care settings display better cognitive, language and social competencies on standard assessments. Because brain development flourishes when children are young, the critical time to start the learning process is before they enter kindergarten. Quality child care settings give children the necessary pre-literacy, math and social skills they need to ensure they are ready for kindergarten and continue to achieve through elementary, middle, high school and beyond.
Choosing quality child care can be a difficult and daunting task. Fortunately, in Jacksonville, a quality rating system, Guiding Stars of Duval has been developed to showcase a participating child care program’s commitment to providing quality early learning. In this voluntary program, each center has the possibility of earning between one and five stars which represent an increasing level of quality. Guiding Stars can help parents in their search for high-quality by giving them an easy reference to the level of quality at each center. Additionally, parents can receive information and resources to help them choose the best child care possible and assistance in making that child care affordable through the local Child Care Resource & Referral network. Child care centers and family child care homes are where children of working parents spend the majority of their waking hours, so it is essential this time is spent learning and increasing brain development.
It is critical parents understand the importance of choosing quality child care and its impact on their child’s growth and development; as well as knowing what resources are available to help them choose what is best for their child and their family.
