Is it worth having a job if it means that...?

Question

... your children are not being properly cared for?

A survey released today found that although "Many parents pay about £200 [$400] a week per child for a full-time nursery place" 8% of London nurseries are failing to properly safeguard children e.g. "Sharp knives were easily accessible to children from a drawer in the kitchen at an after-school club"

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23518941-details/143+London+nurseries+condemned+for+%27failing%27/article.do

8% may not be a lot, but its important if its you child... or maybe a good salary makes it worth the risk?

Answer 1

I am curious if those 8% of daycares cater to lower-income single women who have no choice but to work, and can't afford better childcare. I know this is often the case here in the US. If you can enroll your young child in a place like the Goddard School, you can guarantee proper care. If you can't afford the $10K+ a year it costs to send your child there, and you are a single mother on a low income, the shady Shanequa's Sunshine Daycare ran out of her home might only be the place you can afford to place your child. I am quite cynical, but I doubt most parents who make a "good salary" are apathetically placing their children in poor care because their jobs are more important to them.

Answer 2

No decent parent would keep their child in that nursery if they know how easily accessible sharp objects were. They'd put them in one of the other 92% if they had to. Day care needs to be properly regulated.

Answer 3

I hate to say it this way, but do you need to work? If you are the sole provider for your family, you need to find the best possible child care so you can feed your family. If you are not the sole provider, this is something you should discuss with the other income provider and come to a common decision.

If surveys were done to see how safe children are in their own homes, the percentage of unsafe homes would probably be right up there in the 80 to 90 percentiles. Are sharp knives accessible to your children in your home? Are you constantly (100%) watching your children every minute of every day that they are at home with you? Most accidents happen at home, so your child (or mine or anyone else's) may actually be safer at daycare.

Answer 4

Nope. If your kids aren't more important to you than your job, you should not be a parent.

Answer 5

As a single mother. I have to work so my child can eat and have a roof over her head. I don't take handouts or get support. so I have to work.

My daughter stays with an older lady who is like a Grandmother to her. I am lucky I have her. she takes great care of her.

Now as a parent this is a major concern. NO parent will put their child in day care if they knew it was not safe. it a gamble every time you drop them off. but if both parents have to work. then they should really talk this out with the daycare center.

This is the parents worse nightmare. but with prices going up so much sometimes you have to make tough choices. but be sure your child is safe. No really good answer wish there was. God Bless

Answer 6

The government is busy shunting people off into work left, right and centre so childcare is a low priority. I'm sure no parent would send their kids to a dangerous nursery, but you expect to be able to trust them. After all that's why you took them there in the first place.

Answer 7

I reached my own solution to that problem. I'm going to work at their school, starting next week. Obviously not for everyone, but it works great for us.

Answer 8

If no one can take care of a children, I guess mom and dad have to discuss who will take care of the kids. I think which your argument don't say is the father can quit the job too and stay at home to take care of children.

Answer 9

As a parent, you have the responsibility to check out where your child will spend the day and make sure safety precautions are in place and that the child to adult ratio is right.

If you don't feel the child will be safe there then you stay home until you do find a safe place.

You also have to weigh the amount of money you will make and the cost of the child care. If child care costs almost what you make then it's not worth it - stay home and enjoy your child.

If you have a good salary then you can afford the upscale child care.

Answer 10

My point of view is that when you commit to having a child and becoming parents you place the welfare of the child above all other things. That unless you can adjust schedules to accommodate the hours of both parents in such a way as to ensure the child always has a parent on hand then one parent must forgo their career in lieu of the more important task of properly raising the child.

A big house and a new car is not a good reason for two parents to shirk their responsibility. In the case of a single parent all efforts must be made to find the very best care for the child while they work.

Answer 11

No one intentionally leaves their child somewhere dangerous.

For the record....I have a small scar on my cheek from falling down icy steps while both parents were 20 feet away, I have a brother-in-law who has a burn scar from being scalded in his own kitchen with his mother 3 feet away, I have a friend who's arm was broken by a horse when her dad was right beside her and my son was clipped by a car (not badly thank god) while I was gardening in the front yard 15 feet away...and at 13 he was old enough to know better!

My point is that accidents happen when parents are home too.  Just because a mom or a dad are watching instead of a sitter or daycare worker does not mean children won't get hurt.  In fact sometimes other people watch our children better than we do ourselves.

Newsflash....kids are fast!  Sometimes they're into trouble faster than you can rescue their silly butts.  It's part of life.  You can say 100 times "don't touch that it's hot" and the little beasts will wait until you turn your back to find out if you're telling the truth.  The just need to find out for themselves.

You cannot raise children in a completely safe and sterile environment and you can't base a decision like that on a study that shows 8% of nurseries may be no safer than your own home because I would be willing to bet that most homes are not "perfect" in their child-proofing.