The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effect of day care centers on the social and emotional development of children. The paper will also consider how the influence of day care centers differs for infants up to the age of two and for children between the age of two and five.
The day care center is an important place for the social development of children because it is where children who attend them spend a large part of their day. The day care center is also where the child first interacts with other children and adults who are not immediate members of the family. The social skills learned during day care will have an effect on the child for the rest of his or her life. Many people are aware of the importance of the development of social skills in children beyond the age of two. However, researchers have discovered that social development actually begins in early infancy. For example, it has been found that even when only one day old, an infant will respond to voices and touching. It has been noted that this is the "beginning of learning how to be a sociable human being" (Alston, 1984, p. 119). Because the process of socialization begins so early in infancy, it is important for day care workers to be aware of this fact and to use it in planning their programs. If a day care worker fails to understand this fact and thereby does not provide the type of attention that the infant needs, the social development of that infant might be more difficult than it should be.
Social development continues at a rapid pace throughout the period of infancy. For example, by the age of three months, most infants have already begun to smile and babble at other people, especially people that they have become familiar with. Therefore, this age is a good time for day care workers to begin getting the infant to participate in group activities by letting it sit in a baby seat during those activities and also by letting the older childre...