Packaging care: What happens when children receive non-parental care?

Abstract

Families in the advanced industrial countries organize childcare very differently now then they did in the past. Fertility levels have declined and levels of maternal employment outside the home have increased. Many parents depend on a variety of non parental childcare services ranging from day care centres to informal assistance provided by friends or relatives. A significant proportion of families with children are headed by mothers on their own, who often rely heavily on non parental care.