Government policy and practice

Government policy is a statement of the ideology currently approved by the society, or at least by the dominant segment. It is a statement which is implicit about what is valued and what end goals are sought, and explicit about the means to be used to achieve those values and goals. In some cases the means may be debated, but the values and goals are generally assumed to be held by all citizens and are, therefore, rarely discussed. And agreement on both the means and the ends is assumed to exist precisely, because debate and discussion do not occur.

Policy related to day care reflects current ideology concerning the value and function of families and the attendant roles, about the value of children and women, and about economics. The following assumptions: and beliefs appear to be operational within this ideology:

1. The family is a basic economic unit of the society. It is both producer and consumer. As producer, it is responsible for the bearing and rearing of new citizens and for all the activities related to that function. As consumer, it purchases and uses commodities and services to maintain, protect and enhance the survival, security and belongingness needs of its various members; and in so doing maintains, protects, and enhances the larger society.

In its producer function, the family is expected to educate the child to be a "good" contributing member of the family and a "good "citizen. The family is expected to carry out this function as an independent, competent, financially self-supporting unit. If it cannot do this on its own, the family may obtain assistance from the state, and may even get assistance that is not wanted. Those who request assistance run the risk of being stereotyped and thought of as a "problem".

In return for performing this essential service to society (i.e. child-bearing and child-rearing), families may be rewarded by governments through: (a) state-supported educational services designed to help each child become less of a burden on the state; (b) inexpensive, state-supported medical and social services; (c) transfer of government funds directly to the family through various allowances, tax deductions, tax credits, etc.; and (d) various services which maintain and protect the "quality of life" of the society.