Family day-care

Family day-care (child-minding in private homes) is probably the most widespread form of day-care in New Zealand and it is possibly the one which has been with us the longest. It is not subject to official supervision (unless more than two children are being looked after) so nobody has really known how many children were being cared for in this way, for how long during the day, under what conditions or at what financial cost. Nor have we known why women choose to become child-minders.