A new chapter in the destruction of childhood. Ten-hour days for tots
. TCW
We have probably come to accept that in the economic climate of today, mothers will return to work in the first years after having their children and that childcare will be needed in her place. However, under a new government proposal toddlers could face spending up to 10 hours a day in nurseries under a £1 billion official plan to help boost employment among mothers. The document will invite nurseries and childminders to bid for funds to provide 30 hours a week free childcare for all three- and four-year-olds, extending opening hours from 6am to 8pm. The provision — which will double the existing 15 hours — will be available from next autumn
Increasingly, it seems that all that matters to successive governments when it comes to early childcare are the figures. This growing acceptance of nursery care as the norm is in stark contrast to how other members of our species behave; humans are the only mammal who deliberately separates its young from the mother before it is physically able to take care of itself. The relentless trend towards state provision of child care ignores the emotional, developmental and social needs of very young children.
Children are not simply miniature adults. A child’s brain feels, thinks and acts in completely different ways and the emotional brain of a young child is nurtured in the context of close loving relationships. Just as adult relationships need to be nourished by time spent together actively engaged in one another’s company to secure emotional attachments, proximity and engagement matter, and the younger the child, the more important it is.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
