Functionalism Daycare

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Pages: 6

In discussion of daycare facilities, a controversial issue is whether day care services provide adequate socialization for children. While some argue that daycare facilities are not the best alternative, others contend that daycare services provide excellent socialization for its children. This does not necessarily mean that parents fail to provide their children with appropriate socialization. Many Canadians assume that parents who send their child to daycare are choosing to avoid their responsibilities. On the other hand, several parents believe that daycare centers offer a formal and structured environment. Daycare is a childcare centre where children and babies from three months to school age are cared for in a safe and stimulating environment. …show more content…
According to Statistics Canada, twenty eight percent of children in some form of childcare in Canada are enrolled in a daycare centre as their main care arrangement (Statistics Canada, 2014). From a social science perspective, several researchers might ask, according to functionalism, are these childcare services providing a sufficient amount of socialization for little children? Functionalism is the theory which focuses on the roles of different institutions such as, the government, family, education and, religion. This theory explains how society is organized to perform its required functions effectively. Social Scientists suggest that childcare services function as family institutions of society and therefore provide suitable socialization to the youth. Whereas, other specialists believe that daycare facilities play the role of an educational institution within society. The study of the relation between functionalism and daycare facilities has become a major concern for several …show more content…
When children enter the daycare system, they acquire two distinct sets of significant others outs the family whom they rely upon to give them feedback. Childcare providers and peers constantly monitor and provide constructive criticism to children. To begin with, daycare providers are expected to transmit skills and knowledge and assess their performance. By doing so, children and their families can receive a realistic perception of what they can and cannot do. DailyChildCareReport is a company which believes that a daily report card is the “parent-communication solution for childcare providers” (DailyChildCareReport, 2015). Basically, this company is implying that there is no better way than daily report cards to track one’s performance. This is significant as it does not only provide socialization for children, but also gives children exposure to the school life they will experience in their near future. Moreover, children attending daycare get a good sense of belonging. Adolescences have the option to choose who they want to be and with whom they want to socially interact with. According to Csikszentmihalyi and Schneider, “peer groups exert a stronger influence than teachers”. (Csikszentmihalyi and Schneider, 2000) These experts are suggesting that a child’s group of friends impact one’s identity within society. Also, children begin to build self-esteem when they come into contact with