Jordyn Aldrich

Unit 3 Essay
Jarvis FHS-1500
10/1/15
There should be extensive research when it comes to where a child is going to be left for
any amount of time without his or her parents. There are many different variations of child care
with a variety of theories on why the facility believes in what it represents. If I was considering
leaving my three year-old child in a child care facility it would be a child-centered facility, such
as Montessori. My concerns with the facility would be the form of discipline that is acceptable to
the organization, the number of children and facilitators per group, and how my childs time will
be spent throughout the day.
The first thing I would want to know is that my child isnt being abused or disciplined in
a way that is detrimental to his/her self-esteem or development. Using spanking, time-outs, and
shame as a way of discipline have all proven more detrimental than beneficial when it comes to a
childs development (228-229). Another factor that plays into my concern of these disciplinary
measurements are the side effects that it will have on my childs moral development. Social
learning theory (28) indicates that if my child is exposed to physical or psychological
punishment, whether it be directed towards my child or another, the more likely he/she is to
repeat those same actions which could also lead to developing antisocial behavior (226). Being
exposed to spanking or slapping could cause reactive and bullying aggression (227), or exposure
to isolation and/or shaming could lead to relational aggression (227). The way punishments are
implemented at a facility would be an extremely important factor in my decision.
My next big concern would be the size of the group that my child will be with throughout
the day. I would want my child to receive as much interaction as possible with peers and
instructors. I think my child would have more of an advantage in a smaller class setting. The one
on one time with peers would be a perfect way to experience various situations that would help

Jordyn Aldrich
Unit 3 Essay
Jarvis FHS-1500
10/1/15
him/her to realize there is more to the world than what they know. I want my child to experience
situations where he/she doesnt get their way and develop an understanding of emotional
regulation (206); just because they dont get their way that does not mean they can act out. Going
back to the discipline aspect, the less children the more chances the instructor has to sit and
explain to my child why what he/she did was not acceptable and how his/her actions affected
others, or to interact with my child on more of an intimate level.
Lastly, another concern would be how my childs time is spent throughout the day. I want
to know what kind of activities, lesson plans, and entertainment my child will be receiving while
I am not around. I want my child to learn to become intrinsically motivated (207) by his/her
activities and decide what makes him/her who he or she is, creating self-concept (206). Because
of this, I want to make sure that I am not sending my child to a facility that considers sitting
down to watch Barney a form of education and stimulating development. After working hard
as a parent to make sure minimal pruning occurs in my childs brain (96), I dont want that to go
to waste by sending him/her to a facility where television replaces hands on experience. Now I
understand that pruning happens regardless and theres nothing that I can do about that but I can
have a say in how stimulated my childs brain stays throughout the day.
No matter if my child was an infant or three years old these would remain my concerns
through the duration of their development and educational experiences. I want my child to be and
feel safe while I cannot be around, I want him/her to receive the experiences and development
that he/she needs, and I want him/her to be happy and enjoy being a child.

References:

Jordyn Aldrich
Unit 3 Essay
Jarvis FHS-1500
10/1/15
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to The Life Span: 2nd ed. New York, NY: Worth.