While there is much to celebrate about the move towards extended care, some academics and practitioners are questioning the implications of having children spend so much time away from their families. There is a fear that parental attachment could be significantly weakened, with all-important 'quality time' becoming ever more elusive.
The need to effectively measure whether extended care is actually good for children is underlined by Helen Barrett, senior research fellow at the National Family and Parenting Institute. She says, 'There needs to be a lot more research using large amounts of families over a long period of time to find out what the real long- term effects are of children spending large amounts of time in childcare facilities.'
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