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Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the child-care practices adopted by the caregivers in crèches in Lagos state. Specifically, the study determined the important child-care practices relating to feeding, healthcare, toilet training, play/physical exercise, sleep/rest and safety which ought to be adopted by caregivers in crèches. It also determined those practices that are actually adopted by caregivers in crèches in Lagos State. The study further determined the problems encountered by the caregivers in the crèches in their care practices and ways of solving them. The area of the study was Lagos state. The population for the study was 1005 respondents consisting of 701 caregivers in crèches and 304 in-house medical nurses. A sample of

353 respondents made up of 237 caregivers and 116 nurses was used for the study. The 237 caregivers comprised 141 highly qualified caregivers (those with N.C.E and above) and 96 less qualified caregivers (those with G.C.E or its equivalent and below). Questionnaire was used for data collection. The data  were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the  research questions and t-test for null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The major findings of the study included 98 important practices that child caregivers adopted in the crèches which included that caregivers prepared

babies’ foods according to manufacturers’ instructions and they washed their hands thoroughly especially after toileting or diapering. The findings also included 94 child-care practices that were actually adopted by the caregivers which included that caregivers did change the babies’ diapers/nappies as and when due, they also ensured that the floor and furniture were cleaned and disinfected especially after meals and after any toilet accident or vomiting by the children. The study further identified 18 problems that caregivers encountered which included; poor salary, children who are difficult to settle to sleep as well as children who cry a lot without any known reason. The study also identified 21 ways of solving the problems. They include among others that parents and caregivers should be open minded towards each other and the caregivers should model good behaviour to the children. Based on the findings, five recommendations were made which include; that curriculum planners should include crèche management in the Home Economics curriculum so as to professionally train child caregivers who would work in crèches, among others.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Child development is a process that involves an increase in skill and complexity of function of a child. A child is developing when he or she is making a steady progress in what he does with his mind and body (Anyakoha, 2007). Child development involves qualitative changes which are the fundamental transformation in a child’s abilities and characteristics over time. It also involves quantitative changes which involve increase in the amount of the ability or characteristics a child has (DeHart, Sroufe and Cooper, 2000).

There are  three basic principles under which development occurs. First, development is orderly. This implies that the changes follow a logical sequence, with each paving the way for future changes and each change is understood in the light of the one that occurred previously. For instance, a child’s ability to count paves the way for him to add or subtract. Next is that development is cumulative in that it includes what went before as well as something more. Thus, a child who is able to run is equally able to sit and stand. Finally, development moves towards greater complexity, hence it is directional (DeHart et al, 2000).

Development  in  children takes  place  in  stages  which  include  the prenatal  period,  infancy,  early  and  middle  childhood  and  adolescence periods (Anyakoha, 2007). The prenatal period is the time from conception to birth, roughly a nine-month period. Infancy extends from birth to about 18 or 24 months of age. The early childhood period is from the end of infancy to about 5 to 6 years of age. The middle and late childhood is from about 6 to  11  years  covering  the  elementary  school  years.  Adolescence  is  the

developmental period of transition from childhood to early adulthood, entered at approximately 10 to 12 years and ending at 18 to 22 years of age (Santrock, 2004).

A child’s development is at each stage influenced by two factors; the nature and the nurture. The nature refers to an organism’s biological inheritance. Every human child carries a set of genes that contain the basic guidelines for unfolding of development. The genes that are turned on at any given time depend on the particular point in development a child has reached, that is, on the changes that have gone on before. The genetic blue print produces commonalities in development. For instance, a child walks before running, speaks one word before two words etc. hence basic developmental tendencies are genetically wired into humans (Santrock, 2007).

The other environmental factor which is nurture refers to the environmental experiences. They include all of the nutrients, sensory inputs, circumstances and the challenges which are encountered by the developing child (DeHart et al, 2000). These environmental experiences can promote or hinder the smooth transition of a child from one stage of development to another. The environmental factors that are necessary for optimal development of a child include love and care from family and other caregivers, good nutrition, clothing, exercise, rest, medical care and safe and stimulating environment (Anyakoha, 2007).

These experiences influence child-caregiver attachment. Attachment is an enduring emotional tie between an infant and caregiver. According to Bowlby (1963) adaptation theory, child-caregiver’s attachment can be secure or insecure. The security of attachment means a pattern of attachment in which   the   infant   is   confident   of   the   caregiver’s   availability   and responsiveness and can use the caregiver as a secure base for exploration of

the world around (Santrock, 2004). Bowlby argued that infants who experience responsive care believe more generally that they can prevail even in the face of adversity. In contrast, infants who do not receive responsive care are not secure in their attachment. They may be over dependent and doubtful of their own ability. They may also become socially isolated or aggressive. These include infants and toddlers who are pushed towards independence too early by their caregivers (DeHart et al, 2000). Adequate provision  of  suitable  environment  by  child  caregivers  therefore  is  an important issue in child development because how well a child develops is dependent on the quality of child-care they receive from their caregivers (Anuna, 2005).

Child-care is a process of providing the child with warm, supportive, safe and stimulating environment that will make the child feel secure and allows him or her to develop (Lamb, 1999). It is the general day to day activities of child caregivers towards the child’s survival, proper growth and development (Strickland and Worth, 2007). Child-care involves practices that support a child and ensures that his or her needs are satisfied. Child-care practices are learnt skills that involve caregivers’ providing the basic needs of a child (Anuna, 2005). They include feeding, toilet training, clothing, provision of shelter and supervision, engaging the child in social interaction, providing a stimulating and safe environment for play and exploration (UNICEF, 1996).

A child has physical, emotional, social and intellectual needs that must be met while the child is being cared for. Physically, a child needs healthy   food,   appropriate   clothing,   good   hygiene,   sleep   and   safe environment. Intellectually, a child needs safe and stimulating environment, language activities and opportunity and opportunity to explore. Emotionally,

a child needs to be held, cuddled and comforted (Clyton, 1999). Socially, a child needs to be disciplined and socialized into the way of life of the family and the larger society. These needs are expected to be met in the various aspects of child-care. Childcare therefore comprises physical, socio- emotional and intellectual care practices. The physical care practices include feeding,   clothing,   toilet   training,   health  care,   play/physical  exercise, sleep/rest and safety care of the children. The socio-emotional care practices involve comforting, cuddling, verbal show of affection, discipline and socialization of the children. The intellectual care practices include provision of  stimulating  environment,  language/communication activities, opportunities for play and exploration (Beith, Pullan and Robertson, 1998; and Santrock, 2004).

Caring for the children is one of the primary functions of parents especially mothers. However, they often arrange for alternative care when they are absent or busy (Anyanwu, 2004). Care arrangements exist in three forms; formal, informal and self care. Formal care arrangement involves payment of other people to care for the children in child-care centres such as crèches and nursery schools (National Policy on Education, 1998). Informal child-care involves no payment and is usually carried out by relatives such as grandparents, older siblings and other relevant persons. Self care involves the children staying at home alone with no adult or hanging out with peers (Anyanwu, 2004). The formal and informal care both involve the use of child caregivers or child minders. These refer to people who take responsibility of caring for the children on a long or short term basis. They are the people who take care of the children in various child-care settings (Shelov, 1998).

The crèche is one of the formal child-care settings. The word crèche is of French origin and means manger, crib or day nursery (Knox, 1997). It is a place where infants and children are kept for a particular period of time for nursing care, nutrition, sleep, excretion and general comfort of the children. It usually cares for a group of ten or more children often in a church, community, private home or school Beith et al, 1998)

In Lagos state, crèches are mostly owned by private individuals and a few by churches and higher institutions. They are usually registered as part of nursery schools under the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. Most crèches take care of children from three months of age to three years. They also provide after-school care for children up to five years of age.

The Lagos state government recognized the importance of the crèches as  significant providers of child-care. This  has  prompted it  through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) to establish some guidelines for their establishment and operation. Among other things, the guidelines require the caregivers to provide a hazard-free environment for the children in their care, to provide this hazard-free environment, the caregivers have to adopt child-care practices that promote proper child development.

The caregivers in the crèches often include ladies and women with various educational qualifications such as First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), General Certificate in Education (GCE) or its equivalent as well Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and above. The educational qualification of the caregivers is considered important when they are being employed. This is because, in addition to being a criterion for their salary level,  it  is  also believed by their employers that the  more educated the

caregivers, the better exposed they are, to more appropriate child-care practices. The caregivers with GCE or its equivalent and below are regarded as less qualified caregivers while those with NCE and above are regarded as highly qualified caregivers. The crèches in Lagos State also have at least one medical nurse attached to each of them. These are regarded as in-house nurses. They are responsible for health and sanitary matters in the crèches. They visit the crèches on scheduled days and on demand.

The crèches provide formal care for children of working mothers such as bankers, teachers, civil servants etc. The children in crèches are grouped into babies/infants (children under two year) and toddlers (children from two to three years of age). The babies are mostly cared for by less qualified caregivers while the toddlers are cared for by the highly qualified caregivers in a more formal setting. This group is regarded as the foundation class, reception class or play group in Lagos State. The crèches are usually open from 7.00 am to 5.00 pm. This period covers the time that most working mothers are away to work. This implies that the children are in the care of the caregivers for most part of their day.

The caregivers in the various crèches adopt various practices in their provision of child-care. They also encounter various problems some of which are related to the parents of the children, some are related to the children while others are related to their work and environment. Some of these problems involve handling aggressive children, temper tantrums, as well as hyperactive children. There are also the problems of low remuneration and incentives in addition to dealing with uncooperative parents (Essa, 1999).

From the foregoing therefore, the crèches play a very important role in child-care and development through its various practices. It is important that the practices promote and not retard optimal child development.

Statement of the Problem

Caregivers in crèches have very vital roles to play towards optimal development of the children in their care. This is true given the fact that they have the children in their care for greater part of the day time, which is often from 7.00 am to 5.00pm. These children are infants and toddlers between three months and three years of age. They depend on their caregivers for the provision of their daily needs therefore, the caregivers adopt practices that ultimately promote the children’s development.

A preliminary study carried out among some mothers in Isolo, Lagos State however, revealed poor care practices within crèches in Lagos State. The preliminary study was organized in the form of a Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The purpose of the FGD was to find out the opinions of the mothers on the practices that go on in the crèches. The findings showed some poor practices which include overcrowding of children in the crèche rooms, lack of proper hand washing especially after helping the children to toilet, use of cough syrup as sedative for difficult babies, too many children for caregivers to handle resulting in negligence of children’s needs, overcrowding of children in the crèches leading to easy spread of diseases among others.

Available report  also  shows  that  two  studies  carried  out  in  some crèches in Abeokuta and Benin City revealed poor hygiene conditions that were injurious to children. No such study appears to have been carried out in Lagos state. This is a gap that needs to be bridged, hence this study.

Purpose of the Study

The  major purpose of the  study was  to  investigate the  child-care practices adopted by child caregivers in the crèches in Lagos state with a view to evolving ways of enhancing such practices.

Specifically, the study determined;

1.       important   child-care   practices   that   should   be   adopted   by   the caregivers in the crèches in Lagos state in the areas of feeding, healthcare, toilet training, play/physical exercise, sleep/rest and safety of the children;

2.       child-care practices that are adopted by the caregivers in the crèches in  Lagos  state  in  the  areas  of  feeding,  healthcare, toilet  training, play/physical exercise, sleep/rest and safety of the children;

3.       problems encountered by caregivers in the crèches in Lagos state in their care practices; and

4.       ways of solving the problems encountered by caregivers in the crèches in Lagos state.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study revealed the important childcare practices that should be adopted by child caregivers and the ones that are actually adopted. If these findings are appropriately utilized by the stake holders in the crèche management, they would enhance the quality of care provided for the children in the crèches. Consequently, the study has a lot of benefits for parents, staff and management of the crèches, Home Economics curriculum planners and teachers as well as the government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

First the findings of this study revealed the important child-care practices that should be adopted and the ones that are adopted by the caregivers. This will provide parents with information on things to look out for when choosing crèches for their children.  This means that the findings of the study will guide parents especially mothers in evolving criteria for

choosing crèches for their children. The information on the problems encountered by caregivers and ways of solving them is hoped to enable parents understand their own roles towards better care of their children. This will further enhance parent-caregivers interaction.

The important child-care practices that were revealed in this study will also help parents to evaluate themselves regarding the appropriateness of their individual care practices towards proper child development. This self- evaluation will enable them make desirable changes for better growth and development of the children in their care. The findings on the problems encountered by caregivers and ways of solving them are intended to help caregivers improve on their problem-solving skills. The management of the crèches can also utilize the findings and the recommendations of this study in organizing staff training program on effective child-care and also help them to improve on their own roles in providing more conducive child-care environment.

The government through the Ministry of Women affairs and Poverty Alleviation can utilize the findings of this study to make and effect policies or guidelines aimed at better care and further protection of the children and the caregivers in crèches. The findings of this study will also necessitate more supervision and regulation of the activities of crèches so that high quality care is ensured.

The  Home  Economics  curriculum planners  and  teachers  can  also utilize the findings of this study, to incorporate professional child care in the Home  Economics curriculum of  higher  educational levels  of  vocational schools. This will be a means of training and preparing future professionals in the field of childcare. This is imperative because education and adequate training of caregivers will go a long way to improve the quality of childcare

provided in the crèches. Lastly the findings of this study would be documented and kept in the university library or uploaded in the internet to be used as reference material for future research students.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1.       What are the important child-care practices that should be adopted by the caregivers in crèches in Lagos state in the areas of feeding, healthcare, toilet training, play/physical exercise, sleep/rest and safety of the children?

2.       What are the child-care practices that are adopted by the caregivers in crèches  in  Lagos  state  in  the  areas  of  feeding,  healthcare,  toilet training, play/physical exercise, sleep/rest and safety of the children?

3.       What are the problems encountered by caregivers in crèches in Lagos state?

4.       What are the ways of solving the problems encountered by caregivers in crèches in Lagos state?

Hypotheses

The following two hypotheses were tested in the study:

H01:  There  is  no  significant difference in the  mean responses between highly and less qualified caregivers on the feeding, healthcare, toilet training, play/physical exercise, sleep/rest and safety practices that are adopted by child caregivers in crèches in Lagos state.

H02:  There  is  no  significant difference in the  mean responses between highly and less qualified caregivers on the problems encountered by caregivers in crèches in Lagos state.

Scope of the Study

Child-care practices comprise physical, social-emotional and intellectual childcare practices. The study was however limited to the determination of physical child-care practices which involve the activities of the caregivers in the areas of feeding the children, providing healthcare, giving children toilet training, providing opportunity for play and exercise, providing comfortable atmosphere for sleep and rest as well as ensuring the safety of the children within their care.

The study also covered seven out of twenty Local Government Areas which were selected based on their accessibility. These areas were Oshodi/Isolo, Mushin, Surulere, Ikeja, Amuwo-odofin, Kosofe and Agege.


This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research



CHILDCARE PRACTICES ADOPTED BY CHILD CAREGIVERS IN CRÈCHES IN LAGOS STATE

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