What would you do if child care hours were extended at your local daycare? Work later at the office, apparently.
A new study from the National Day Nurseries Association and Netmums in the U.K. found that four out of every five parents plan to take advantage of extended childcare hours being introduced into the UK by working more hours. Some parents even said they would have to work more hours just to meet the new requirements for extended child care, The Huffington Post reported.
But parents arent only planning to work more hours with extended coverage some may use the time to study in school and grow their careers, The Huffington Post reported.
The study was released days after former British prime minister David Cameron announced the British government will double the amount of free childcare starting in September 2016, The Huffington Post reported.
"The proposed 30 free hours should help make childcare more affordable for parents of three- and four-year-olds, improve the choices UK parents have and ensure work pays for many more mums and dads, Anne-Marrie OLeary, the editor-in-chief of Netmums, said in a press release.
Though this is happening in the United Kingdom, it may be something for American parents to consider, especially as the call for extended and cheaper child care ramps up stateside. As reported earlier this year, Americans pay almost $148 weekly on average for childcare almost 7.2 percent of a working mothers income.
President Barack Obama has advocated on many occasions including in his State of the Union speech at the beginning of the year for more affordable child care to help struggling American parents.
However, the decision to extend child care hours may have unintended side effects it may make parents work more, which can have a negative impact on families.
Longer hours in the workplace can put a strain on family relationships, according to a 2002 study cited by the American Psychology Association. The study found that longer work hours increased work-family conflicts, which led to health issues among family members, like depression and other stress-related health concerns.
This conclusion found after researchers gathered data for more than 500 employees of a Fortune 500 company stood true even when schedules were flexible or if parents had varying responsibilities at home, the APA reported.
"One of the things that was most striking to us was that the relationship between work hours and work interference with family held (constant) regardless of how flexible an employee's schedule was or how much responsibility he or she had at home for child care or other family duties," the studys lead author, Virginia Smith Major, told the APA.
Previous research has also found that unconventional work schedules can hurt children, too. Phys.org reported that irregular schedules like working on evenings, nights and weekends can cause children to suffer from behavioral issues and develop poorer reading, language and mathematic skills.
But even though longer and irregular work schedules can affect children negatively, its important for parents to remember that its the quality of parenting that matters most not quantity. The Washington Post reported in March that it doesnt matter how many hours you spend with your child, as long as those are quality hours where you help your child grow and be involved in their lives.
I could literally show you 20 charts, and 19 of them would show no relationship between the amount of parents time and childrens outcomes. . . . Nada. Zippo, Melissa Milkie, a sociologist at the University of Toronto and one of the studys authors, told The Washington Post.
A new study from the National Day Nurseries Association and Netmums in the U.K. found that four out of every five parents plan to take advantage of extended childcare hours being introduced into the UK by working more hours. Some parents even said they would have to work more hours just to meet the new requirements for extended child care, The Huffington Post reported.
But parents arent only planning to work more hours with extended coverage some may use the time to study in school and grow their careers, The Huffington Post reported.
The study was released days after former British prime minister David Cameron announced the British government will double the amount of free childcare starting in September 2016, The Huffington Post reported.
"The proposed 30 free hours should help make childcare more affordable for parents of three- and four-year-olds, improve the choices UK parents have and ensure work pays for many more mums and dads, Anne-Marrie OLeary, the editor-in-chief of Netmums, said in a press release.
Though this is happening in the United Kingdom, it may be something for American parents to consider, especially as the call for extended and cheaper child care ramps up stateside. As reported earlier this year, Americans pay almost $148 weekly on average for childcare almost 7.2 percent of a working mothers income.
President Barack Obama has advocated on many occasions including in his State of the Union speech at the beginning of the year for more affordable child care to help struggling American parents.
However, the decision to extend child care hours may have unintended side effects it may make parents work more, which can have a negative impact on families.
Longer hours in the workplace can put a strain on family relationships, according to a 2002 study cited by the American Psychology Association. The study found that longer work hours increased work-family conflicts, which led to health issues among family members, like depression and other stress-related health concerns.
This conclusion found after researchers gathered data for more than 500 employees of a Fortune 500 company stood true even when schedules were flexible or if parents had varying responsibilities at home, the APA reported.
"One of the things that was most striking to us was that the relationship between work hours and work interference with family held (constant) regardless of how flexible an employee's schedule was or how much responsibility he or she had at home for child care or other family duties," the studys lead author, Virginia Smith Major, told the APA.
Previous research has also found that unconventional work schedules can hurt children, too. Phys.org reported that irregular schedules like working on evenings, nights and weekends can cause children to suffer from behavioral issues and develop poorer reading, language and mathematic skills.
But even though longer and irregular work schedules can affect children negatively, its important for parents to remember that its the quality of parenting that matters most not quantity. The Washington Post reported in March that it doesnt matter how many hours you spend with your child, as long as those are quality hours where you help your child grow and be involved in their lives.
I could literally show you 20 charts, and 19 of them would show no relationship between the amount of parents time and childrens outcomes. . . . Nada. Zippo, Melissa Milkie, a sociologist at the University of Toronto and one of the studys authors, told The Washington Post.
