Day care - some, but not too much, is ideal

One of the headlines of the day http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/us/26center.html?ref=us is that time in day care is linked to both poor behavior up to 6th grade, and to an expanded vocabulary. As the parent of a 2 yr old, I have no difficulty believing both of these statements. I enrolled my child in a "high quality" daycare with a good reputation and high cost, for up to 12-hr a day care, before she was born. She started day care at 5 mos of age, and was beset with ear infections, high staff turnover, and limited napping. The staff took care of her physical needs well as far as diapers and bottles. But after that, if her "primary caregiver" was not in the room, well, she was on her own. When she started to walk it was clear they were not set up to deal with a toddler who wanted to explore and interact. We took her out at 14 mos and went with home based day care instead. This has had its drawbacks as well, including a pregnant care-giver who needs to quit. But in all it has been far superior to formal daycare. In touring facilities I am considering for next year, I usually look at the number of children in the room, and think, no way. However, there are a number of good part-time, generally church affiliated, programs in my area, offering 6-10 hrs a week of care for a 2 yr old, including music, art, and outdoor play. I have noticed a much higher standard of care and "enrichment activities" at the part time programs than at the full time programs. It seems that with day care, less is more. This is little consolation to full time working parents, but seems to be the way things work.