THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610250016
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 27 lines
Recently, two articles surfaced in The Virginian-Pilot relating to rules for day care. Of particular concern to me are the recommended changes by the Child Day Care Council to reduce the educational requirements of day-care staff and increase the staff-child ratio.
Traditionally, the character development of young children was provided by home, church and community. However, since the 1950s this development has eroded due to the increase of parents or the single parent working, diminishing influence of the church and the neutralizing of value education in the schools. It would be wonderful if we were able to provide the requisite child care in every home, but the fact is we cannot. The only way to offset that is through day care by professional people.
If we accept that proper early childhood learning and development are crucial to the character and intellectual development of young children, then the recommendations of the council to reduce educational requirement and to increase the staff-learner ratio are completely out of sync with scientific-research findings and, fundamentally, basic common sense.
NORDALE N. NERVIG
Chesapeake, Oct. 15, 1996 by CNB