Do You Daycare?

Trends In Parents Sending Kids To Daycare

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

I’m thinking about opening up my own daycare but have heard that these days, less people are sending their kids to daycare. Do you think trends are showing this? And if so, why?

Sincerely,

Daycare Do or Don’t

A:

Dear Daycare Do or Don’t,

Daycare is a tricky market, and I happen to think it's going to see a dip, based on the relationships and relationship issues I work with. While there has previously been a boom in daycare, a new study, just released, indicates the guilt that full time working mothers feel, and the fact that they don't think they're doing as good a job as mothers as other mothers who work part time. 

There had previously been a boom in daycare among middle class and upper middle class mothers that was not there before, as they went back to work and tried to have it all over the last two or three decades. That trend, however, is coming to an end. More middle and upper middle class mothers are opting to work part time and telecommute in order to raise their children without the help of daycare. In addition, lower, middle and upper middle class families are now sending their children to Head Start programs and pre-schools in record numbers and there is political movement to underwrite these programs to make them available to all children. These programs supersede the need for daycare from the age of two years and nine months (the time when most preschools accept children). 

In addition, there's been a demographic trend towards mothers having children when they're in their 40s now, instead of younger. These women are more conscious of the difficulties of having children, and are more grateful for the opportunities they have with their children. Because of these feelings, these mothers have a tendency to be very hands on with their parenting, and less apt to give up control to daycare of any kind. 

There will always be the upper class nanny segment, but that is unchanged and will remain unchanged.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

© 2004-2009 AskApril.com, LLC. All rights reserved. AskApril®, AskApril.com®, and Ask April® are registered trademarks owned by Masini Enterprises, Inc. This material can only be republished and redistributed if it is kept in it's original form, including, but not limited to, all AskApril branding, banners, links, books, and credits.