HIGH NUMBERS OF CHILDREN IN CHILDCARE

I read an article in the April 4th Salt Lake Tribune that caught my eye.  It talks about the growing demand of daycare for children in the United States.  It quoted the report, "Who's Minding the Kids?  Chldcare Arrangements:  Spring 2011" saying that during a typical week in spring 2011, 61% of all children under age 5 were in some type of regular child care arrangement.  I'm sure the number has increased in the last two years.

The national study also found that the preschool children of working mothers spent an average of 36 hours a week in childcare.  It continues that more older children (ages 5-14) now have some sort of adult supervision after school or in the evenings instead of staying home alone. 

As I read this article I thought about the kids being taken to daycare centers early in the mornings, most likely still in their pajamas, or the kids getting out of school and just wanting to go home and relax or change into their pajamas.  I thought of kids getting to their care centers and trying to find a quiet place to do homework, and wishing they had someone who could sit down with them individually, and listen to them read, or help them with a math question. 

I wonder how many of these children have someone who is waiting for them with open arms when they come home from school.  Someone who asks them how their day went, someone who cares about how their day went. 

Children get home from school with stories to tell, worries to express, jokes to share.  How many of these 61+ percent of children in childcare get one-on-one attention?

I wish that I could reach out to these families and tell them there is a great alternative to daycare.  That they can keep their children in the comforts of their own home with someone who is like an extended member of the family.  Someone who's entire focus is THEM. 

With the increased need to work outside the home, I can't think of a better childcare option than an au pair.  Hands down.