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I'm not a parent yet but I've given this topic quite a bit of thought here and there. Personally, I was a daycare child. When I was young I went to a local lady's house, then to preschool. My parents tried the school after-school day care my first year or two in public school but it was a definate bust. There was little to no structure or supervision. I then started going to a local daycare afterschool and stayed there through 6th grade or so. Most days I didn't mind but it became old very quickly. It also didn't help that I was not really able to understand why my mom just couldn't pick me and my brother up from school or early from daycare. When I was older I knew she "had to work/go to school" but I didn't truly understand the whole work situation (bills are damned expensive, you can't leave until the boss said it was quiting time...). Now that I look back at it all I regret giving my mom a hard time about it. Getting to soccer practice was really not that big of a deal. She had to work damn hard to take care of two kids and go to school full time after going through a nasty divorce and recieving no support from my father. Daycare wasn't that bad and I think it taught me much more than being at home would have. I know I remember more childhood experiences from daycare than home. Besides the obvious suggestions about leaving your children in the care of another (safety, positive environment...) I would suggest checking the daycare out for a few other things. Staff turnover rate (It's not a good sign if they constantly need new teachers. This is usually more common with school age children.) Activities. (This is the part of daycare I hated the most. We were offered fun activities but no variety. It was the same schedule everyday.) Other students. (While the center and teachers may look good on paper, if the children do not get along it will not be a positive experience for your child.)
Overall, I think daycare or some other type of structured socialization at a young age is critical for development. While I might consider being a stay at home mom, I would definatly not skip out on the preschool experience.
Just an interesting note: I am going to school now to be an elem. school teacher. I recently finished up my required observations for first grade. The teacher of the class we were assigned to spoke with us about various issues dealing with schools today. One thing she spoke of was the lack of social development in young children. With standards getting harder in the younger grades there is less time for children to be children and interact. She had to give up centers in her classroom 3 years ago in order to teach the academic skills and has seen a steady decline in students' socail skills.
Sorry this is so long.
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