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BY PAIGE, RICHELLE AND DANIELLE

 What is Childcare?

A childcare center
primarily provides care and education to young
children. Childcare would be ideal for parents who
work during the day or would like to jump start their
child’s socialization process. When attending a
quality childcare center, teachers design an
environment in which children can grow socially,
emotionally, and intellectually which are all
important developmental areas.
 Methods Of Socialization Used By Childcare Settings

Operant Conditioning
Modeling
Affirmations/Strokes
Pretend Play
Promoting Self-Esteem
Problem Solving Skills
Social Referencing
Self-Help Skills
Apprenticeship
 Methods Of Socialization In Greater Depth

In a childcare environment, infants, toddlers or school-age children naturally

begin to form bonds with caregivers and fellow peers. Children will then learn
how to interact with adults and other children. They will also be able to
accommodate behavioral skills that are necessary in order to be socially
accepted.
Designing activities that promote accomplishment will provide opportunities
that may strengthen motor skills and self-esteem which is extremely beneficial.
The quality of care provided will also affect the type of socialization a child
receives. Parents and guardians have to research the facility/place of business
and the knowledge/education of the care provider. Some environments will
provide structured activities and routines, while others are more free form and
natural resembling a home environment. The standards of care provided may
also differ between settings. Regardless of the setting, parents must ensure
that they maintain an open relationship with the care provider and stay
connected with their children in the socialization process.
What Is Childcare’s Purpose In The Socialization Process?

Socialization is the process every individual goes through from birth to acquire not
only self identity, but the values and norms of their family and their community.
The family is where an individual receives the most influence early in life, however
as life progresses, a lot of other factors become an influence. Teachers, child care,
friends, counselors, TV, media, etc. All become influences on how the individual
develops into a productive member of society. Childcare greatly affects the child as
they are going through their socialization process. At daycare, the child is away
from their family, which as mentioned above is the main source of influence in the
child’s socialization growth in their early years. The child is now exposed to other
children who are not in their family and who are not necessarily friends of their
family. Each family is different because each family has different values, different
rules, different cultural beliefs, different tolerations, different ways of punishing
their child, different ways of showing affection and so on. Because this is true, each
child in daycare is going to be exposed to new, and different cultures in their
society. The childcare providers or teachers are going to help and guide the children
in finding the conceptions of appropriate behavior that is held by most of society.
Important Elements Of Childcare That Positively Influence A Child’s
Socialization Process

Childcare can help families in many ways. Parents have an opportunity to learn about
 and how to access resources they may not have known about before. Some of these
resources could be additional childcare (i.e. late night baby sitters, childcare for
younger children) , tutoring, medical insurance, support groups, financial support, etc.
 Some childcare facilities offer workshops for parents that also have childcare so
parents can attend. These workshops show parents to deal with "difficult" children,
ways to keep kids healthy, ESL learners, resource workshops, and first aid/CPR.
As caregivers we can see any issues a child is having and be able to talk to parents and
other teachers or caregivers. If there are problems we can address them and solve them
with all involved.  This is an essential part in the “debriefing” process when children
are going to an especially stressful time in life and it gives a child a chance to talk to
someone besides their parents. Caregivers have the chance to be there for a child when
parents or teachers are not an option. We can build trusting relationships which are
very beneficial to children. Also as caregivers we are models for the child to follow. We
can model the ideal behavior for children. For example, if a child sees you choosing to
eat an apple over chips or drink juice over soda they will start to explore those options
as well.
 Continued

Child care helps the socialization process through close interactions with peers. This is
something home care may not be able to do. The child may be an only child or maybe the
family doesn’t live within city limits and doesn’t have any neighbors. For example, problem
solving is a big part of learning how to deal with others in everyday life. When in close contact
kids are prone to argue and fight. We as caregivers can teach them how to deal with these
problems responsibly and by themselves. This can be done through modeling and helping
them walk through the process. Some childcare facilities like the Boys and Girls Club of
America receive funds by running programs weekly and many of them have fun games and
art activities that teach problem solving and getting along.

Caregivers have the chance to encourage initiative and play that could help the child learn.
Power Play is an organization that encourages eating healthy and being active they have some
activity booklets in which there are fun games like memory. Memory is a game where all the
kids walk around in different ways then you tap a child on the shoulder and say strawberry.
The child now has to make up a movement to go with strawberry. Every time the word
strawberry is said all the kids have to do that movement. As you play you add more fruits and
veggies and more movements. Through this kids get out some energy and learn about new
fruits and veggies they may not have known about.
 Elements In Childcare That Negatively Influence A Child’s
Socialization Process

Studies have shown that childcare influences a child’s

socialization process in negative and positive ways. The
following are a few ways in which childcare effects one’s
socialization process negatively. As we all know, childcare
involves separation between a parent and a child. With that
said, separating a child from their parent (especially an
infant) may be detrimental to their socialization process. In
greater detail, a secure attachment is extremely important
and disrupting the mother-infant bond could negatively
affect relationships in the future. In addition, children who
suffer from a physical or learning disability may have a
tougher time adjusting to separation.
 Continued

Secondly, peers are the only influence when children

are apart from their families in childcare. Children
tend to observe and imitate the behavior of others
around them. Utilizing this method of modeling,
could possibly encourage unwanted behavior such as
aggression.
 Continued

Thirdly, there may be instances in which childcare providers are

not culturally accepting of differences in ethnic backgrounds or
customs. This may leave the child feeling quite confused and
leave the parent feeling frustrated. However, if conflicts do arise,
the parent and childcare provider should work through RERUN
in order to solve the problem. Fourthly, childcare sometimes
promotes gender roles unintentionally. When walking into a
childcare, there are generally more women employees than men.
One could solve this by simply requiring an equal amount of
women and men along with bringing awareness about gender
roles to children. Lastly, some caregivers simply do not provide
quality care. One can contribute to this by decreasing the
opportunity to develop cognitively and socially.
 Pros Of Childcare

There are many pros to childcare and how it encourages and influences children in their
socialization growth.

In a childcare with many different children, a child will learn how to interact with a variety of
children of diverse backgrounds and diverse situations.
In group activities, games, and free play children learn how to contribute and behave in a group as
well as independently.
Early childcare prepares the child for a school setting by helping the child learn to follow basic
rules and guidelines of the classroom as well as self control in a classroom setting.
The different settings/atmospheres that childcare centers provide (for example indoor play,
outdoor play, structured play, unstructured play, lunch time, circle time, nap time, story time, arts
and crafts time, etc) help expose the child to different situations and environments and help the
child learn how to adapt their behavior appropriately to each one.
Childcare can offer a place for the child to explore independently as well as with guidance.
Childcare helps the child realize that they do not need to always be with their family to feel okay.
The child learns that the world is a safe place to explore even when their family is not present.
Children learn the importance of speaking up and using their words when they need or want
something.
 Cons Of Childcare

There are many cons as well to childcare and how it affects the child’s socialization process.
One of the biggest issues that can cause issues in childcare helping make a positive influence
on children’s socialization is cultural differences, between the caregiver and the parents.
Children who are cared for by caregivers from other cultures may receive mixed messages and
responses between home and daycare, causing less optimum conditions for growth and
exploration.
Furthermore, lack of communication between the childcare providers and the parents of
different cultures or not can cause inefficient conditions for the child to feel comfortable in a
center based setting to grow. Communication needs to happen to provide consistency for the
child in both settings. If the child, for example, goes potty on the toilet for the first time and
that is not communicated to the parent, then the parent cannot offer proud and encouraging
dialogue to the child for the behavior to continue. Another example would be how the child
receives affection at home and at daycare. If the child has separation anxiety and needs to be
held for a couple minutes after the parent leaves so the child feels comfortable in the daycare
setting, then the parents needs to communicate that to the care provider. When there is
minimal to no communication, the two big sources of socialization in the child’s life have to
ability to highly conflict each other and cause the child to feel confused and even lost.