Allright peeps im writing a paper on this, im almost done and i just wanted to feel the waters on what people think. Basically i want to know how many of you are actually against having a government funded national daycare program. All studies have found that early interventions, specially for lower income children have great positive effects. Some argument the effects are shortlived and fade out as soon as 3rd grade but most of the fading effect is explained by family situations and quality of latter educational centers. There are proven economic gains also such as more single mothers entering the work force, and couples being able to juggle work/children more effectively and thus increasing productivity.

Anyone have arguments against? I want to have a balanced review of the issue in my paper, but arguments against are far and few in between and usually don't hold up.

Anyone interested in looking at current models for implementation of a nation wide daycare system can look at the Carolina Abecederian and Headstart in the US. In Canada there's Quebec's recently implemented province wide government funded daycare program.

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Poetry>Byron//Blog>TheMean

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Orbax At that point you kind of crossed the rubicon and you might as well lay siege to Rome

I'm mostly ignorant, but I suspect (and you imply) I would support it on the basis that it gives women more freedom (less pressure on the woman to stay at home to take care of the kids if this kind of support structure was avaible)

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your pearl casting hero

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Originally posted by Subey I'm mostly ignorant, but I suspect (and you imply) I would support it on the basis that it gives women more freedom (less pressure on the woman to stay at home to take care of the kids if this kind of support structure was avaible)

That is one of the benefits that it's been found to have. In places were this has been implemented, in Quebec for example, there was a surge of mothers coming into the labour force after the implementation.

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Poetry>Byron//Blog>TheMean

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Orbax At that point you kind of crossed the rubicon and you might as well lay siege to Rome

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Originally posted by venomX That is one of the benefits that it's been found to have. In places were this has been implemented, in Quebec for example, there was a surge of mothers coming into the labour force.

Then the argument against it is that a whole hoard of kids are being raised in an inferior living environment, as day care has always been. It may be better than being left alone, but it might also lead some mothers to an easy choice that they do not have to make, but choose to, at the expense of their children.

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Originally posted by Inconspicuous Then the argument against it is that a whole hoard of kids are being raised in an inferior living environment, as day care has always been. It may be better than being left alone, but it might also lead some mothers to an easy choice that they do not have to make, but choose to, at the expense of their children.

Yes, but this is only in the case of low quality day care. If day care is public service there is the ability for parents and companies which depend on parents for their work force to force the government into keeping acceptable quality in day care centers. This doesn't happen in private for profit day cares. You could argue that 'market pressures' would drive quality in for profit centers, but it's been shown that parents have a hard time assessing quality of these centers and are more reluctant to pressure them than if it were government funded.

The Quebec program has also shown that it is economically possible to keep decent quality day care centers at a province wide level. So it is not impossible, it is just demanding.

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Poetry>Byron//Blog>TheMean

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Orbax At that point you kind of crossed the rubicon and you might as well lay siege to Rome

Personally i am against it, i choose to stay at home and raise my kid because i feel it would be better for my kid and i have the option because my husband works. Government funded daycare means we will be paying taxes for other families to recieve a break, not us. I would rather keep that money and put it towards my own family. Pick up what i'm putting down?

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Originally posted by wienerschnitzel Personally i am against it, i choose to stay at home and raise my kid because i feel it would be better for my kid and i have the option because my husband works. Government funded daycare means we will be paying taxes for other families to recieve a break, not us. I would rather keep that money and put it towards my own family. Pick up what i'm putting down?

Excellent point, naturally you think that people who have no children shouldn't pay taxes towards schools as well ?

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your pearl casting hero

The best day care is not as beneficial for the child as is a good mother. There is bad day care and there are bad mothers, but on the whole, being at home & raising your child will always be better than day care.

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Originally posted by wienerschnitzel i choose to stay at home and raise my kid because i feel it would be better for my kid

It is, and [not being patronizing] good for you.

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Originally posted by Subey Excellent point, naturally you think that people who have no children shouldn't pay taxes towards schools as well ?

yeah it's simular, however, if i didn't have children but was planning on it in the future, then i wouldn't mind so much knowing that i would recieve that help when the time came, however, if i knew i wasn't going to be having children, then i wouldn't necessarly want to be paying for other childrens taxes.

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Originally posted by Inconspicuous The best day care is not as beneficial for the child as is a good mother. There is bad day care and there are bad mothers, but on the whole, being at home & raising your child will always be better than day care. It is, and [not being patronizing] good for you.

i just feel bad for the mothers that don't have a choice, because i do think (or at least hope) that more would do the same if they didn't have to work to support their family for ex. single mums. i know alot of women want to have careers and a family and that is a personal choice, but i gave up my career to have a family.. i think being a mum is SERIOUS BUISNESS and i know that staying at home with my kid/s will help give them a strong foundation in the future, which imo is priceless.

That is a valid point weiner, but what to do with mothers that don't have enough resources to stay at home? How do you propose to solve their situation?

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Poetry>Byron//Blog>TheMean

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Orbax At that point you kind of crossed the rubicon and you might as well lay siege to Rome

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Originally posted by venomX That is a valid point weiner, but what to do with mothers that don't have enough resources to stay at home? How do you propose to solve their situation?

you also have to consider that more people might decide to have more children if not faced with the decision of either taking care of them or paying for someone to take care of them.

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