Child Care Today - eBook

PENELOPE LEACH was educated at Cambridge University and at the London School of Economics, where she received her Ph.D. in psychology, after which she studied many aspects of child development and child rearing under the auspices of Britain’s Medical Research Council. A Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a founding member of the U.K. branch of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, she works on both sides of the Atlantic in various capacities for organizations concerned with prenatal care and birth, family-friendly working practices, day care, and early years education. She has recently co-directed a major program of research in the United Kingdom into the effects of various forms and combinations of care on children’s development from birth to school age. Penelope Leach has two children and six grandchildren and lives in Lewes, England.

"A masterful work by a luminary in the world of child development. If implemented, Leach’s findings would revolutionize the way America cares for its young children and bring about a radical improvement in the lives of children and their parents—and in the economic, social, and intellectual well-being of our country." —The Boston Globe

"Leach offers counsel for all of us . . . She gives us a better way to think about the [child care] decision. . . . Both child-centric and sensible." —The Washington Post

"Will likely become the standard by which all other child-care books are measured. . . . There’s no doubt Child Care Today will become the bible on the subject." —Booklist

"Leach looks at the things that matter. For any mother or father interested in examining their own choices in a global context, this book looks like a must-read." —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Unparalleled in its comprehensiveness. . . . Should be required reading for those involved in policymaking regarding children and families." —Library Journal (starred review)

"Until we embrace children as everyone’s responsibility, Leach insists, the ’working/caring conundrum’ will continue to plague parents, and society will forgo the high dividends that result when an investment is made in quality child care." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)