Day care refers to the care provided for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children, either in their own homes, in the home of a relative or other caregiver, or in a center-based facility. Home care is not always possible, and it’s not always best—a high-quality daycare is usually better than an impatient parent or a disinterested nanny. And if you decide on daycare for the first three years, less is better than more—little kids do better with fewer than thirty hours of non parental childcare a week. It offers long-lasting social, economic and academic benefits for kids and their parents. Studies have shown that children, including babies and infants from the ages of 6 months to 4 years, benefit from the daycare environment, including its quality instruction, structure and social lessons