Back to Day Care

As new (1) … research shows that children in day care develop faster than their peers, more parents are (2) … .

The (3) … was supplied by a (4) … . She was responsive and responsible, and Joan Hocky was confident that her infant son, Ben, was (5) … a qualified sitter. Even so, when he was 11 months old, she (6) … a popular baby-sitting facility in Brooklyn which provided (7) … day care. Hocky liked the idea of Ben being exposed to new toys and (8) … . “My (9) … was that it was (10) … ,” says Hocky, a consultant on community development. “It helps him with (11) ... . To date, I’ve seen a big shift in his general confidence and curiosity.”

All over the country, parents are (12) … the benefits of a centre-based (13) …: social stimulation, as well as multiple caregivers to provide (14) … . Now, more parents are choosing day care than any other (15) … , including relatives or a (16) … in a neighbor’s home. In addition, the comeback to centre-based care reflects the (17) … line between education and caregiving. Where (18) … families used to send their children to nursery school and the (19) … parents were stuck with day care, it’s becoming harder to draw a (20) … now. Both are striving to (21) … the work schedules of harried parents, who don’t want mere (22) … two or three mornings a week.

But for all its advances, centre care is still (23) … . Kids in group care tend to get sick more often. (24) … are more restricted than in an at-home arrangement. And (25) … among workers is high, largely because it rarely (26) … ; the average annual salary is under $15,000.

Ex. 4. Read the following text and decide which option (A, B or C) fits each gap.

Nanny and (1) … sitter scare stories have no doubt influenced some families’ choices of an acceptable childcare setup. Most (2) … , in 1997 British (3) … Louise Woodward was convicted (4) … manslaughter in the shaking death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen. Other cases are less tragic – but (5) … just the same. Sherry Yandow, executive director of Vermont’s PlayCare Centers, says (6) … a recent day, one family (7) … up after returning home unannounced to find their baby (8) … down for her nap at 9 a.m., while the nanny watched TV. That’s far more typical than (9) … abuse, says Lori Shechter, who runs a nanny (10) … service in Manhattan to families who want to (11) … their nannies in secret, to be on safe ground. (12) … the 5,000 videotapes she’s done, about 10 showed physical abuse and child (13) … , she says. “Most of what people learn is a totally (14) … image of the sitter in the presence of Mom and Dad and poor job (15) … .

As (16) … day care is a major threat to the development of young children, the quality of nanny (17) … agencies is a national (18) … . In one Florida study, Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, found that (19) … to get obligatory child development training has dramatically improved the quality of child care. The most important is that the sitter be involved – and not just rush for (20) … salaries. Sounds like a good rule of thumb for parents, too.

The Newsweek

A B C

1. negligible neglectful neglectant

2. notoriously notifiably notedly

3. au pair charge at-home sitter

4. for with of

5. distressing disappointing distraught

6. in by on

7. signed checked snapped

8. settled put switched

9. sheer shear seer

10. videocasting videoscreening videotaping

11. display monitor screen

12. from out of among

13. molestation violation vexation

14. forged fraud false

15. engagement fulfillment performance

16. downstandard substandard understandard

17. placement replacement settlement

18. preconception precaution preoccupation

19. suggesting offering proposing

20. handsome cushy fringe

Ex. 5. Fill in the correct prepositions where necessary.

1. The federal health department of Canada estimates that children (1) …demand (2) … day care outnumber the spaces available in licensed centers (3) … almost ten (4) … one.

2. While many parents still feel guilty (5) … entrusting their children (6) …strangers and admit that it would be smarter to give (7) … (8) … working, most give a higher priority (9) …fulfillment (10) … a career.

3. Many parents use day care as a kind of an escape and are forced to resort (11) … communal approaches (12) … child-rearing, rooted (13) … the quaint assumption that it fits (14) … the typical model of a perfect day care arrangement.

4. Few employers go (15) … great lengths to settle (16) … a huge demand (17) … infant care (18) … among their employees. Only a small percentage of private employers provide (19) …-site or (20) …-site day-care facilities for the workers.

5. While a specific degree (21) …child development is required (22) … a caregiver in some states, parents should expect ongoing training (23) … infant education, (24) … a minimum, according (25) … the American Council of Nanny Schools.

Ex. 6. Translate the following text into English, focusing on the italicized words and phrases. Make use of the key vocabulary.