In 1981, the execution of Dictator Nicolas Ceausecu, who had ruled Romania for the previous twenty four years, led to a revolution and the formation of a new government. For the first time the previously closed society was open to a curious Western world. One of the first discoveries of foreign visitors was the plight of 170,000 children barely surviving in abysmally run state institutions. Many of these children were so-called “social orphans.”

Of the many childcare options for infants and young children, Family Day Care has much to recommend it. Family Day Care (FDC) is essentially an arrangement whereby the child is cared for in the home of another family, usually not a relative. FDC is most often provided by women who are raising, or who have raised their own children, and who are experienced child care givers. The Family Day Care Arrangement has several potential advantages in comparison to the Day Care Center:

Day Care Centers, which decades ago were looked down upon and disdained as designed for children of destitute and indigent mothers are now regarded as essential for two parent and single parent working families. Day Care Centers (DCC) now look after more than thirty percent of US children under the age of five.

Babies devour time. For mothers and fathers who work, or for those who stay at home, it is important for you to have some time off to recharge your batteries. You may use the time just for quiet and a chance to read the paper, or to meet with friends and/or even reignite romance by having a date with your spouse. Finding someone to watch the baby for a few hours, however, is a real challenge. One of the first barriers to be overcome is your own guilt about leaving the baby in the care of someone else and the anxiety over possible dangers.