EXCERPTS

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Dr. Jean-François Chicoine's book dishes up the view, once again, that mothers who choose or need to work should feel guilty, and that using child care will compromise the psychosocial well-being of their children.

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Unfortunately, this book slights the real issues. How, as a society that claims to care for its children, can we provide conditions that ensure a healthy work-family balance? One essential step would be the development of a system of affordable, high-quality child care. There is ample evidence showing that good non-parental care does not harm young children; on the contrary, it protects many from the effects of their high-risk environment.

* Christa Japel is a professor, Département d'éducation et formation spécialisées, Université du Québec à Montréal

- reprinted from the Globe and Mail