Day Care

Day care refers to a diverse range of services that provide nonmaternal care for mostly preschool-aged children. Most commonly, day care provides custodial care for children whose parents work or are unable to care for them. However, day care is also increasingly understood as a site of early childhood education. While centre-based care is the dominant mode of day care provision, day care can be provided in other locations such as private homes. This entry addresses a range of topics including the history of day care, day care’s connection to education, and research on day care.

The History and Global Spread of Day Care

Day care is practised in many countries. There are examples of organised day care as early as the mid-19th century, but its provision ...

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