Olivia Hoover
LA 101H – Persuasive Speech Draft
April 13, 2011
I.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 53.8% of American women between the ages
of 25 to 29 have at least one child.
a. This means that many of us in this room will have children someday.
b. DaycareCenter.net says that about 70% of parents will use childcare facilities of
some kind.
i. So, many of us here will also have to make the decision of whether or not
to enroll our children in daycare.
ii. It is most likely that our decision will be made when we walk into a room
with four infants and one supervisor.
iii. This educated supervisor could be changing one infant’s diaper while the
other three are crying because they need a bottle, a clean diaper, or just
some attention.
iv. So, how do you know your baby is going to receive the care he needs?
1. You really don’t, unless you work in this setting.
v. I have worked in a center for a year now and have personal experience
with this four to one ratio.
vi. It is definitely doable, but each baby is not receiving the individualized
care he needs.
vii. You all either know or can imagine how difficult it is to care for one baby
under the age of one, and being in a day care setting makes it even more
difficult.
viii. The Department of Public Welfare, or DPW, has certain regulations about
caring for infants, which add even more difficulties.
ix. One person physically cannot care for four babies at one time, and this
can lead to serious long-term consequences for the babies.
x. To ensure that its regulations can be met and that infants get the care
and stimulation required for healthy development, the DPW should
change the infant to supervisor ratio to three infants per adult supervisor.
II.
Childhood is the most impressionable part of the human life.
a. The experiences and care that children receive can predict the rest of their lives.
b. Since many families choose daycare, it is very important that they understand
how it can impact their child’s entire life.
i. Development Through the Lifespan suggests that infants placed in fulltime child care before 12 months of age are more likely than infants who
remain at home to display insecure attachment.
1. Insecure attachment is the result of separation from the parents
and inconsistencies in parental care.
ii. Some infants may be at risk for attachment insecurity and adjustment
problems due to inadequate child care and long hours in child care.
1. Insecure attachment can lead to problems developing intimacy
and trust in the child’s future relationships.
iii. Infants clearly require much more attention and care than any other age
group.
III.
Now that we understand the importance of the first year of life, we can look at the
obstacles experienced in the daycare setting.
a. The DPW has certain requirements about diapering and feeding which take away
from comforting and stimulation of the other infants present.
i. It is required that the staff person check the infant’s diaper every two
hours.
1. The diaper must be changed immediately when it is soiled.
ii. At my daycare center, we are required to check the infant’s diaper every
hour and change it every two, whether it is soiled or not.
1. With four babies, this means we are changing or checking a diaper
about every 20 minutes.
iii. Also, each baby has a specific feeding plan designed by the parents.
1. Four feeding schedules that are each about every two to three
hours leaves almost no time for personal care or play time with
the babies.
2. The DPW also states that an infant six months of age or younger
should be held while being bottle fed.
b. While all of these requirements are necessary for sanitary and healthy care, they
require a lot of work for one baby at a time.
i. If you are feeding or changing one baby, you maybe have one free hand
to tend to another baby in need.
1. But what if all three of the other babies are in need?
IV.
You’ve seen the various problems that can arise while caring for infants, but how can
this be fixed?
a. It is clear that the current four to one ratio makes it very difficult to give each
infant the loving, personal care needed for healthy development.
i. Sherry Corneal, an HD FS professor here at Penn State, has her own
theories of a high quality daycare based on her research.
1. The supervisor to child ratio is the first thing she mentions.
2. She says that infants under one year of age should have a ratio of
three to one adult supervisor.
3. She argues other aspects of a high quality daycare, but she
stresses the importance of a low ratio.
4. Infants require immense care, so the more infants present, the
less care each of them receives individually.
ii. Corneal’s research is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics,
or AAP, which advises that one adult should have the primary
responsibility for no more than one baby less than 12 months of age.
1. Children this young need consistency in caregiving with an adult
who can respond to their unique signs of hunger, distress, and
need for comfort.
2. The AAP also suggests an infant to supervisor ratio of three to
one.
b. A lower infant to supervisor ratio would reduce the amount of upset babies that
cannot be tended to immediately and directly benefit the children themselves.
1. A smaller ratio would make it more likely for infants to receive
adequate care while in a center, and therefore reduce the
chances of insecure attachment and resulting problems later in
life.
c. Daycare centers would also benefit in this change of ratio.
i. A lower ratio would provide more jobs in this faltering economy.
ii. Daycare centers could double the amount of infant supervisors on their
staff.
iii. Infant enrollment would also increase because parents would be more
comfortable leaving their infant in a center with a more personal
experience.
V.
I’ve explained the costs of the current infant to supervisor ratio of four to one and
the difficulties presented while caring for four infants.
a. I’ve also explained how these can be overcome if the DPW would change the
ratio to three babies instead of four.
b. Daycares are already proven to be detrimental to infants at the current ratio, so
a lower ratio would significantly decrease the chances of developmental
problems.
c. With the state of our economy, more and more mothers need to return to work
sooner than in the past.
d. Most babies in daycares spend their days in a swing, crib, or bouncer because
the supervisor simply does not have enough arms to tend to every baby.
i. Most of the time when I walk into the infant room, three or four of the
babies are in something like this, and are not being held.
ii. This setting does not give infants the stimulation and comfort they
require.
e. The infant to supervisor ratio needs to be lowered to three infants per adult
supervisor to ensure that these babies receive the proper care that will enable
them to have a healthy, successful future.
Works Cited
Aronson, Elliot, Timothy D. Wilson, and Robin M. Akert. Social Psychology. 7th. New York:
Pearson, 2010. 297. Print.
Berk, Laura E. Development Through the Lifespan. Custom Edition for PSU. Boston,
Massachusetts: Pearson, 2010. 203. Print.
Corneal, Sherry. "High Quality Day Care." HD FS 129. PSU. University Park, PA. 30 Sep 2010.
Lecture.
"Information on Daycare Statistics." Daycare Center. N.p., 2007. Web. 4 Apr 2011.
<http://www.daycare-center.net/daycare-statistics.html>.
Maxwell, Megan E. "Attachment Styles." PSYCH 221. PSU. University Park, PA. 30 Mar 2011.
Lecture.
Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. , 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2011.
<http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/>.
United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Fertility of American Women. , Web. 5 Apr 2011.
<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility/cps2008.html>.