Change The Channel On Childcare Centers With Televisions
Posted on: 4 December 2015
You might be surprised to learn that many child care centers and home daycare operations have a television front and center in rooms where children are playing, eating and sleeping. Sometimes these TVs are on all day in rooms where children under 2 are present. If you have a child under the age of 2 in a daycare center with a television, you should consider a change. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adults avoid any screen time at all for kids under 2. Here are some reasons why.
Busy Brains
Your baby's brain is constantly making new connections. Every time young children are stimulated by something they can see, hear, taste or touch, their brains are understanding something new.
Screens cannot encourage brain development the way real life experiences can because they are two dimensional pictures. Babies need real life three dimensional experiences that stimulate all of their senses and fire up their minds.
Developmental Danger
Exposure to television in early childhood not only interferes with brain connections, but it can also cause developmental delays. PsyPost cites a study showing that children who were exposed to television had more delays in language development than those who were not. It may also have a negative impact on attention span, sleeping and reading readiness.
Caregiver Concentration
The truth is that some caregivers keep a television on to distract and entertain themselves throughout the day. The problem with this is that they are turning their attention toward the television and away from their charges.
Babies thrive when they interact with the adults around them. Even the very youngest baby is engaged by soft talking or singing as well as eye contact from a trusted adult. Babies cannot possibly get the attention they need and deserve when a caregiver is distracted by the television.
Screen Sitter
Babies may stare at the bright colors on a television screen, but they aren't really learning anything. An article in Time magazine cites studies showing that children under the age of 2 do not have the cognitive ability to recognize that images on a screen are symbolic of reality. This means that even educational television is nothing more than a babysitter. If you are already paying someone to care for your child, then that person should not be using a screen to do the job.
Your child deserves more than a distracted caregiver or being placed in front of a television screen. Demand that your child's daycare turn the television off.
To learn more, contact a child care center like The Cottage School.
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