From the universally admired author of the best-selling classic Your Baby and Child, the first comprehensive—and objective—book on the state of child care in America and the world today. Who is caring for today’s children? How well are they succeeding? What does care cost, and who is paying for it? How do parents go about choosing care for their children, and are they satisfied with what they find? Penelope Leach answers these and other urgent questions with facts and figures gathered from the most current research, brought to life by the voices of parents, including those involved in her own five-year study.Leach sees “work-home balance” as being the major conundrum of the day. She delineates the challenge of fitting children’s unchanged needs into society’s changing demands and the dilemma of today’s parents needing to be in two places at once. She describes in detail the various ways Western countries address that challenge: care given by parents, extended family, and nonfamily; care provided in the child’s home, in other homes, and in professional settings; child care funded by paying parents or by the government. Considering the issues from the various viewpoints of politicians, policy makers, professionals, parents, and children themselves, the author discusses the impact of each kind of care on children of different ages.Leach highlights the urgent need in America today for measures to raise the quality of child care, and to make the best care we can provide available to all families, just as it is (often by government mandate) in most other developed nations. Setting out clearly and candidly what is known about every aspect of child care—including the often hidden feelings and fears of parents—Penelope Leach presents a critical case for building and implementing an agenda for change.

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Product Description: Book by Shore, Penny A., Leach, Penelope, Sears, William, Sears, Martha, Weininger, Otto (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

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Describes the physical and emotional development of children at each stage of life from newborn to toddler, and discusses common parental concerns

Argues for the creation of economic and social supports for children in our society, showing how we currently only pay lip service to the importance of the family. Reprint. 40,000 first printing.

Argues for the creation of economic and social supports for children in our society, showing how we currently only pay lip service to the importance of the family

Describes the adjustments new parents face, argues that babies can't be spoiled and looks at how children's personalities develop

This alphabetically arranged guide covers both physical and emotional emergency and long-term care for children from infancy to adolescence

Explains what happens to and within the child at each of five distinct stages between birth and two years and describes patterns of behavior and development characteristic of each stage

Explains what happens to and within the child at each of five distinct stages between birth and two years and describes patterns of behavior and development characteristic of each stage