In today’s society, there are many households where both parents work and providing direct care for a new born child may not be an option. In these situations, sometimes day care may be the only option for a family and the purpose of this paper is to provide information about day care in the city of New York, provide information about the minimum standards of day care for infants and toddlers, and also to provide insight into the effects of childhood development as a result of using a day care service where only the minimum standards are met. For New York City, day care can be looked up at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website where a parent can search for child care providers in each of the five boroughs. The website hosts a thorough list of day care options for parents, and provides contact information for the borough office where they live. Parents can schedule an appointment where they can discuss day care options for their child. As far as minimum standards, they differ whether it is informal child care at a person’s home or it is center-based (group) child care. The strictest guidelines are for center-based care, where the building and employees must follow the NYC Health Code, Article 47, and they must follow maximum child group numbers and provider/child ratio based on age. For age 6 weeks to 9 months, the maximum group size is eight with a provider/child ratio of 1:4. These numbers and ratios will increase by age up to a max of 24 children with a provider/child ratio of 1:9 at age 5. Teachers must also have minimum credentials such as having a degree in early childhood education or related studies, and/or required minimum child care training. There must also be an educational director at the child care center. While minimum standards are present to protect a child’s health and safety first and foremost, the quality of education from day care providers and teachers is also very important to a child’s physical and cognitive development. In infants and toddlers, stimulation and being in an enriched day care environment directly correlates to a positive future for a child, lasting gains in IQ, and later in school performance. (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 148) If I were a parent and searching for a day care center for my child, I would make sure the care center not only met minimum standards, but I would make sure that the care provided was engaging, stimulating and enriched. Choosing a high quality, highly enriched day care center may have the effects of cognitive benefits for a child’s development, but there have also been studies that have shown a heightened risk for insecure attachment for infants who entered day care before their first birthday. Insecure attachment is where the child avoids contact with their mother, especially at reunion after attachment and shows no preference for their mother over a stranger. (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 137) These studies have shown that parental care in the first six to eight months of an infant’s development is crucial to developing a secure attachment. Developing an
