Mother: “How to have a nanny affecting the development of my children? My partner and I have every year for our children (5 and 6) annually changing nanny’s. They speak Dutch. My children get more peace and continuity because they have to go less to the extracurricular care. I can give them more attention and time as a parent.”
“How do I weigh these benefits over other forms of care? And what does the most positive effect on their well -being and development have?”
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Depending on child and family
Roseriet Beijers: “For young children it is nice to build a fixed band with a small group. A nanny offers stability; at a BSO you may have more changes in staff. There are BSOs who have the same group leaders for years on the same days, but there are also where the staff often change.”
“Whether a BSO is appropriate also depends on your child. Some children are tired after a school day. For them it is not ideal to have to play with children who may also be tired. Other children can really enjoy ending the day like this.”
“It also depends on your family. A nanny can bring a lot of peace in a busy family, precisely because it does household tasks, and can get and bring. Certainly if parents have demanding or irregular jobs.”
“Organize that your children can play with peers, for example by going to the playground with them during the weekend.”
“In addition to their parents, children benefit from adults that they can handle. The close relationship with a nanny who is always there, knows the child well and responds if something is wrong, weighs against the disadvantage of the annual changes. You can put the effect of those changes into perspective. Many children may see their teacher learning to say goodbye.”
Follow your own preference
Marga Akkerman: “You can read the development of children every day, that is not something that manifests itself in the future. If they now make a happy impression, you can trust that.”
“The advantage of a nanny is that you choose someone who fits the family and with your parenting philosophy. After school, your children have more freedom with who and where they are going to play, and you have more opportunity to pay attention to the children.”
“At the BSO, children can experience adventures together, with supervisors, who also ensure that they are socially safe. How nice it is there depends on the guidance. For you it takes more time to organize your attention to the children.”
“The way in which after school is cared for for most children themselves, in the end it doesn’t matter that much. They get used to how it goes. For you, the parents, the differences are all the greater. Therefore choose the form of care that you best fit.”
“If children look back on their youth later, you hope they say they had a good time and that it was clear that they came first with their parents. That is the most important thing. And then it doesn’t matter how.”
Roseriet Beijers is an assistant professor of developmental psychology at Radboud University. Marga Akkerman is non-practicing clinical youth and child psychologist.
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