On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 16:35:50 -0800 (PST), wrote:

I too question whether sending a child to childcare at a young age is
better than staying at home with mom or dad. (or other guardian)
Children will be in school for the rest of their lives and parents can
never get those first few years with their child back. If families
are fortunate enough to have a stay at home mom or dad, I think that a
child would benefit more from staying at home versus attending
childcare early on.

I have known kids who are raised in environments so deprived of stimulation
that it would be a benefit to be in a preschool or daycare setting. Those
kids are loved, but live in a bubble for fear they may injure themselves.
It can be extreme.