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A new US study claims that children in home-based childcare setting are watching significantly more television than those in center-based daycares.

The study found that among preschool-aged children, those in home-based daycares watched TV for 2.4 hours per day on average, compared to 0.4 hours in center-based settings. With the exception of infants, children in home-based child care programs were exposed to significantly more television on an average day than children in center-based programs.

“It’s alarming to find that so many children in the United States are watching essentially twice as much television as we previously thought,” said Christakis. “I suspect many parents are unaware of the frequency and extent of TV viewing in day care settings. Hopefully, these findings will serve as a wake up call for them.”

While I know that there are a lot of great in-home daycare professionals out there, one of the reasons we chose a daycare facility over in-home care when we were both working was that in a well run center-based day care, you have the benefit of structured programs and accountability.

Now that I’m home with the kids I have to admit that it’s easy to put the kids in front of the TV and it often buys me the time to clean out the dishwasher or grab a quick shower. But PVR has radically changed the way we watch TV at home. We only let the kids watch a select few pre-recorded edutainment programs, and we try to limit it to one show per sitting.

That said, it’s incredible how quickly a five year old can learn to master a remote control that leaves many adults baffled. If we don’t keep track, she’ll be onto her third show before we know it. So we have to monitor closely. We also have to check our own habits. With the amount of TV I watch every night, I’m not exactly leading by example.

TV Watching Tips

The press release for this study includes some excellent recommendations for parents and daycare providers:

For babies:

• Avoid TV for children under age two. Choose activities that promote language development and brain growth such as talking, playing, reading, singing and enjoying music.

For children over age two:

• If you allow TV time, choose age-appropriate programs. Involve parents and older children in setting guidelines for what to watch. Use guides and ratings to help, but beware of unproven claims that programs or DVDs are educational. Even cartoons produced for children can be violent or over stimulating. Make sure all programs or DVDs used at home and also in daycare are appropriate.
• Limit total TV time to no more than two hours per day. Less is better. Be sure to add up TV time at home plus TV time in daycare.
• For parents: talk to daycare providers about your concerns. Find out what children under their care will watch, when and how much. Speak up and set limits. Ask your child what they are watching in daycare, just as you would ask what they eat and what they do.
• For daycare providers: remember that screen time is not proven to provide any benefits to children and may in fact cause harm if overused. Television replaces more positive activities like interactive play, singing, reading and talking. Choose to use TV sparingly and deliberately. Talk to parents about how television is used in the daycare setting, and respect their concerns and wishes.
• Keep the TV off during meals.
• Set “media-free” days and plan other fun things to do.
• Avoid using TV as a reward.
• Turn off the TV when a chosen program is over. Don’t leave the TV on as background filler or while engaging in other activities. When no one is actively watching, turn the TV off.
• Watch TV actively with children. Talk about what you see and engage with children about the content.
• Keep TVs out of kids’ bedrooms and sleeping areas.

Read the full release: Daycare may double TV time for young children, study finds.