STIRRING DEBATE: Dr Aric Sigman
A new report examining daycare, and the new generation of research from the biosciences, argues that policymakers and governments are not presenting the full picture of the real-time effects of extended daycare on children.
The report ‘WHO CARES? Mothers, Daycare and Child Wellbeing in New Zealand’ was commissioned by Family First NZ, and prepared by UK psychologist Dr Aric Sigman.
Dr Sigman is a Fellow of the Society of Biology, and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has addressed the European Parliament Working Group on the quality of childhood in the European Union in Brussels, and has also presented research to the same group on the impact of electronic media on child and adolescent health.
In “WHO CARES?” Dr Sigman argues that attending daycare for an extended time, and the consequent separation from parents, is a significant source of stress for many young children which could have potential long-term consequences for their mental and physical health as adults. He argues that what has previously proved elusive is an understanding of how the young child is affected emotionally and physiologically, and how they experience day care while they are actually there.
The report makes a number of recommendations including: Discussions of childcare must have the wellbeing of the child as the main priority, not parental guilt; the current bias whereby the government invests in professionals to care for children while offering no tax breaks or economic incentives for parents who sacrifice careers and income to be full-time carers for their young children should be removed; full-time mothers should be recognised and valued, and full-time parenting should be seen as a child’s right and the quality of care should not be used to override or distract attention from the unavoidable fundamental issue of the quantity of care.
He also recommends that paid parental leave should be extended considerably so parents are not compelled to compromise good parenting because they have to work full-time to survive financially.
Family First has welcomed the report, and says with Government spending on early childhood education almost tripling in the past 10 years, it is essential that the benefits of the investment in Early Childhood Education are weighed against the real needs of children and their families — based on the latest research.
“This report provides compelling evidence that the political and policy focus has been on the needs of the economy and the demands on mothers, rather than on the welfare of children and the vital role of parents,” says Bob McCoskrie, national director of Family First NZ.
However Carolyn Savage, president of the Federation of Business and Professional Women, told The New Zealand Herald that the report focused on the harms to children but ignored the educational and social benefits of early childhood education.
It also unfairly singled out women because daycare was a decision both parents had to make.
Ms Savage pointed out that women were already judged for deciding to send their children to daycare and taking time off to support a child was not an option all families could afford.
Nancy Bell, chief executive of the New Zealand Childcare Association (NZCA), said the report took a negative view of early childcare education and that there was no one answer to the choice between putting a child in childcare or staying home to look after them.
The report ‘WHO CARES? Mothers, Daycare and Child Wellbeing in New Zealand’ was commissioned by Family First NZ, and prepared by UK psychologist Dr Aric Sigman.
Dr Sigman is a Fellow of the Society of Biology, and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has addressed the European Parliament Working Group on the quality of childhood in the European Union in Brussels, and has also presented research to the same group on the impact of electronic media on child and adolescent health.
In “WHO CARES?” Dr Sigman argues that attending daycare for an extended time, and the consequent separation from parents, is a significant source of stress for many young children which could have potential long-term consequences for their mental and physical health as adults. He argues that what has previously proved elusive is an understanding of how the young child is affected emotionally and physiologically, and how they experience day care while they are actually there.
The report makes a number of recommendations including: Discussions of childcare must have the wellbeing of the child as the main priority, not parental guilt; the current bias whereby the government invests in professionals to care for children while offering no tax breaks or economic incentives for parents who sacrifice careers and income to be full-time carers for their young children should be removed; full-time mothers should be recognised and valued, and full-time parenting should be seen as a child’s right and the quality of care should not be used to override or distract attention from the unavoidable fundamental issue of the quantity of care.
He also recommends that paid parental leave should be extended considerably so parents are not compelled to compromise good parenting because they have to work full-time to survive financially.
Family First has welcomed the report, and says with Government spending on early childhood education almost tripling in the past 10 years, it is essential that the benefits of the investment in Early Childhood Education are weighed against the real needs of children and their families — based on the latest research.
“This report provides compelling evidence that the political and policy focus has been on the needs of the economy and the demands on mothers, rather than on the welfare of children and the vital role of parents,” says Bob McCoskrie, national director of Family First NZ.
However Carolyn Savage, president of the Federation of Business and Professional Women, told The New Zealand Herald that the report focused on the harms to children but ignored the educational and social benefits of early childhood education.
It also unfairly singled out women because daycare was a decision both parents had to make.
Ms Savage pointed out that women were already judged for deciding to send their children to daycare and taking time off to support a child was not an option all families could afford.
Nancy Bell, chief executive of the New Zealand Childcare Association (NZCA), said the report took a negative view of early childcare education and that there was no one answer to the choice between putting a child in childcare or staying home to look after them.
