Child Care: A Parent's Critical Choice

Jane McPherson hosts this guide to what parents should consider when shopping around for day care. The segments, which have titles like "Human Environment," "Teacher-Caregiver Capabilities" and "Curriculum," touch on most of the areas that a professional inspector would check: licensing, educational background of the caregivers, building condition, child-caregiver ratios, playground equipment, menus, safety, hygiene, etc. While the script is not usually as vapid as the remark that "parental participation can have a beneficial effect on the quality of the child's experience," it does stick very close to the uniformly dull prose found in technical bulletins. In sum, although much of the information is good, the presentation is not terribly inviting. Selecting Daycare for Your Child (reviewed in our July-August 1990 issue) is a better choice which delivers more information in a more personable way, for half the price. Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: All American Films & Video, 1103 Florida Ave., Palm Harbor, FL 33624; (800) 220-2003.)