Some working parents think that childcare centres provide the best care for children who are still too young to go to school. Other working parents think that family members such as grandparents will be better carers for their children. Discuss both views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Although

it is common for parents these days to place their children that are pre-school age into

childcare

centres, some people criticise

this

and argue that children will receive a better level of care from relatives

such

as grandparents. Personally, I would argue that the best choice is to send children to a

childcare

centre. Those that support care through grandparents cite several reasons for

this

.

Firstly

, they claim that

this

is the safest option due to the fact that they are family members so they can be trusted at all times to put the health and safety of the child

first

. Another important consideration is cost. Parents will have to pay to place their children in a

childcare

centre, and with the financial burdens that families face these days, using relatives to care for children would be a considerable cost saving. Despite these benefits, there are clear advantages of using professional carers.

First

and foremost, staff members at most centres are fully trained in early childhood education so they understand child development and will be able to nurture the child’s growing skills in the best way. Not only

this

, since there is a mix of instructional activities during the day

such

as painting, singing, and storytelling, children’s creativity and learning will be developed.

Last

but not least, children can benefit from the opportunity to socialize with other children, which they might not get to do with a relative caring for them at home. To conclude, I am of the opinion that the advantages of using

childcare

facilities to look after pre-school children clearly outweigh the benefits of using relatives.

This

is because the environment they are brought up in will result in children who are well-educated, creative and sociable.