L13

2

Child Day Care and Aftercare Program

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Introduction

'First generation' research on child day care and aftercare programs mostly looked at the child's impairment in isolation, while’s second generation' research tries to look at the kid's functioning within context (Baker et al., 2019). The family-centered approach emphasizes this setting by recognizing the importance of the home as the first and most influential environment for a child's development of the skills and knowledge valued in their society (Hotz & Wiswall, 2019). An essential tenet of this strengths-based strategy is that family values and customs provide the foundation for effective and long-lasting intervention.

The family-centered criteria have not been met by conventional methods, which have been criticized for not being in line with family objectives and aspirations. Rather of recognizing what families and communities already know and do, a deficit model emphasizes what they do not (Baker et al., 2019). This method results in "professionally prescribed" treatments based mostly on the assumptions of experts without the requisite comprehension of the kid within context. Thus, families are frequently given activities or programs that are not tailored to their specific needs, which might increase their already heavy workload (Hotz & Wiswall, 2019). Families of young children experience events beyond those provided by early intervention programmes that can and do influence child development and family functioning, and this deficit-based approach to intervention has been criticized for not leaving enough time for families to engage in these activities (Baker et al., 2019).

It has been suggested that studying children's activity contexts would help us better comprehend them in that environment (Hotz & Wiswall, 2019). What we call a kid's "activity settings" are the places and situations in which the youngster regularly engages in activities with others and the world around them (Baker et al., 2019). Due to a lack of studies, it is imperative that immediate steps be taken to enhance the indigenous knowledge-base of child day care and afterschool activity settings. Understanding children in their home environments will be aided by these details.

References

Baker, M., Gruber, J., & Milligan, K. (2019). The long-run impacts of a universal child care program.  American Economic Journal: Economic Policy,  11(3), 1-26.

Hotz, V. J., & Wiswall, M. (2019). Child care and child care policy: existing policies, their effects, and reforms.  The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,  686(1), 310-338.