As Indiana begins a new push for taxpayer funded daycare, we are reminded that the very BEST place for socialization and education is in the home. IAHE stands with parents across the state who understand this to be true. We know children are not made with cookie cutters and have been placed in each of our homes for the love and nurture that cannot be replicated in an institutional setting.
The Institution of Marriage and Family Canada has written a well-documented piece regarding this issue: “Nurturing children: Why “early learning” doesn’t help”.
“I want to make sure that my son learns how to get along with others,” one parent will say. Another will add, “My daughter is shy. I want her to be with other children, to help her come out of her shell.” A third might enthusiastically report that her child loves all her friends at daycare: “She can’t wait to go and spend time with them!”
These are just some of the things parents say when it comes to the benefits they see in the social settings that pre-schools, daycares and all-day kindergarten provide. Parents are rightly concerned about whether their children get along well with others.
However, is it true that early interaction with peers improves socialization for young children? Canadian developmental psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld says this is not the case, particularly in sending young children into “social” environments before they are ready. [1]
Defining socialization
The word socialization can mean different things to different people.
Read more here.
IAHE Indiana Association of Home Educators