• Young children develop, grow, and learn best when cared for by someone to whom they are attached, preferably their mother, sometimes their father or another adult. Children’s need for this continuity persists even when parents need or want to be away.

• Economic realities pressure many parents to believe that day care and preschool are good for children,

• Teachers, other professionals, day care centers, preschools, and many others have a vested interest in saying repeatedly that day care and preschool experiences are good for children.

• Day care and preschool can have serious, long-term effects. Here is the conclusion of one study of universal child care: “Finally, we uncover striking evidence that children [who were cared for at young ages through state supported childcare] are worse off in a variety of behavioral and health dimensions, ranging from aggression to motor-social skills to illness. Our analysis also suggests that the new childcare program led to more hostile, less consistent parenting, worse parental health, and lower-quality parental relationships.” Michael Baker, Jonathan Gruber, and Kevin Milligan. “Universal childcare, maternal labor supply, and family well-being" NBER Working Paper No. 11832, 2005. http://www.nber.org/papers/w11832

• For more information, see Why Children Are Not For Screening, Why Professionals and Politicians Are Wrong About Preschool and What We Can Do About It, Increased Mental Health Screening? Are You Crazy!?!, Let's Not Institutionalize 3, 4, and 5 Year Olds, Testimony on Five-Year Old Kindergarten, and WPA resolution #49. Importance of Parents to Children's Development and Learning and a Family's Well Being.