Question:

WAYS OF LOOKING AFTER YOUNG CHILDREN:

At home with parents or other family members

In nurseries or pre-school
With a professional nanny

Write an essay for your tutor in 220-260 words. You should discuss two of the ways of
looking after young children in your notes. You should explain which way is more
beneficial and provide reasons to support your opinion.

There is no doubt that one of the problems with modern families is how to take care of
young children. Some years ago, the most common solution was to leave the new-borns
with a family member. Usually, it was the mother, who had to leave her job and
sacrifice her career for the new arrival. Today, the situation is slightly different,
because, often, both parents have to work and no relatives are available to come and
support the family. In this essay, I will discuss two possible better choices and their
advantages and disadvantages.

One of the advantages of leaving your children with a family member is that this person
will usually have your trust and you know that they will certainly take care of them in
the best way. Furthermore, when the children are sick, you can leave them in bed and
check their temperature frequently, preventing complications. On the other hand,
though, your children may not develop some important social skills such as teamwork
and connecting with peers, but they could be left for some time in front of a screen.

Another possibility would be to make them attend a nursery. There are numerous
advantages to this approach as well, but, above all, I would clarify that children are
taught to stay together, to help each other and to have fun. Unfortunately, on the other
hand, they run the risk of getting ill more frequently and this could be a problem for
parents who have to take maternity leave to look after them.

Overall, I think that I would choose a mixed solution for my children: a family member
during the first years but then a nursery as soon as they start speaking and building
relationships with others, so that they improve their ability to be part of a group.