After months of searching, they chose family care for the children, Sarah, now 5, and Emily, now 3. Barbara liked the casual atmosphere of the in-home option. I wanted a mommy substitute, says Barbara, a Massapequa resident who works for Bell Atlantic. I wanted my kids to have someone to hug if they were having a crabby day. Other parents may decide on family vs. classroomlike day care because of factors such as cost, educational background of the caregivers, and the way the day is structured.
Price is a major factor in choosing day care.
The less expensive option is usually family day care, where someone cares for children in their home. The mood was peaceful in one such family center in Amityville on a recent afternoon. Half a dozen children, ages 18 months to 5 years, snoozed on couches as the radio played. Family care often appeals to parents who have children of different ages in day care and want them to stay together. Leslie Williams, a professor of education at Columbia University, says that mixing children of different ages can be beneficial because the younger ones can be inspired to more quickly learn skills such as walking when they see the older ones doing it.