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Child Care Policies Around the World

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Submitted By melne03
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Child Care Policies around the World

November 30, 2013

Human Growth and Development

Multicultural Research Paper

Child care policies differ around the world. Only four countries have no national law mandating paid time off for new parents. Liberia, Papua New Guinea, Switzerland, and the United States do not have laws. The United States does not have a policy of paid leave for child care however, each state has different requirements. Currently the United States falls well short of these practices. They do not require companies to provide any paid leave for new parents. Tennessee employers that have eight or more workers must grant female employees sixteen paid weeks leave for child birth. In California, Hawaii, and New Jersey employees who are pregnant receive partial wage replacement in the form of temporary disability insurance benefits for the weeks they are absent (HR specialty, 2013). European countries have the longest parental leave regulations in the world. In Czech Republic it is standard that mothers stay home for 3 years after a child’s birth. For this entire time, mothers are supported by the state. I can’t imagine getting paid to sit at home and take care of my child. Think of how lucky those parents are getting to see the children grow up doing all the first things in life. Sweden provides working parents with sixteen months paid leave per child at eighty percent pay rate (Karen, Sternheimer, 2010). Parents can take an eighteen month job protected parental leave with benefits allowed to be shared by parents and applied to full time or part time work. In the United Kingdom, female employees are entitled to fifty-two weeks of maternity leave with the first eighteen being paid (citation, 2013). In France, the females receive sixteen weeks at one hundred percent pay. That would be amazing to be off work for sixteen weeks, and still get a pay check coming in. In 2000, parental leave was expanded to thirty-five weeks divided as desired between two parents. This is in addition to the fifteen weeks maternity leave. I could the father of the child opting out to stay at home a few of those weeks so he wouldn’t feel left out. Canada maternity and parental leave is paid for by the Employment Insurance System (Service Canada, 2013). Traditional gender roles that involve women as “caregivers” and men as “providers” create strong incentives for women to reduce their employment and take on a large majority of child care responsibilities. In the United States, childcare is regulated commercially or family owned home setting. Some may be led by teachers who have a child development associate degree. Many states require they attend workshops yearly to better their knowledge and skill levels in the childcare field. Australia has a large child care industry and many locations have limited availability and waiting periods can be several years (Sydney Morning Herald, 2002)/ In Mexico the President created a social program to help. This program helps mothers that work and study and single fathers in a situation. Daycares are crucial for children. It helps the child partake in social life and learn important lessons, like listening to others and sharing. Daycares are not harmful to children, but rather beneficial. Good daycares can provide different experiences than parental care does. There are several children that would listen to a complete stranger over their parent, mostly because they know they can get away with things with their parents. They aren’t sure what a strange person would do or say to them and it might upset them. There are some “bad” daycares out there that put the child at physical, emotional and attachment risk. Children in higher quality child care had better language and cognitive development during the first year of life. Check out all local daycares and chose the one your child feels best at. Typically you won’t be able to get them to leave the daycare after a few minutes if they are enjoying themselves. Always perform background checks and get references from friends. Make sure they are approved by the state and have no marks on their business name. In at least 178 countries around the world, paid leave is guaranteed for working moms, while more than 50 countries provide wage benefits for fathers. In countries with longer periods of parental leave, children were found to be breastfed for longer and there life expectancy was higher. There are several things to be thankful for when living in the Unites States such as our freedom and equality of life. Looking into the child care policies and procedures, it doesn’t look as promising as most countries. We as U.S. citizens are not offered much of a compensation for bringing a child into the world or adopting. I guess each country has its pros and cons. I would rather my child go to a home daycare setting, like where I work, then take them to a center where there is 3,500 children present. I wouldn’t feel like my child would get the attention he or she deserves, Diversity comes in many aspects, whichever you will chose to go with will be great, since you will be staring at that little precious face.

References
Citation – Maternity and paternity (2013) Retrieved from: http://www.citation.co.uk/employment-law/maternity-paternity.com

Device Canada – Employment insurance maternity and parental benefits (2012) Retrieved from: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/end/ei/types/maternity_parental.shtml

Government misleading parents on childcare. The Sydney Morning Herald. January 4, 2007. Retrieved from: http://www.smh.au/news/NATIONAL/govt-misleading-paretns-on-childcare.com

HR Specialist – Pregnancy and maternity leave: A legal guide. Business Management Daily July 2013
Retrieved from: http://www.hrspecialist.com/article.aspx?articleid=5472

Karen, Sternheimer (2010), Everyday sociology W.w. Norton. Page 254-256

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