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I can't say I was all that surprised this morning to read that kids are watching more TV at home daycares that previously thought. Afterall, telelvision is the best babysitter right?

The study found that preschoolers could be spending a staggering four hours a day glued to the TV.  And remember, the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't think any child under two should watch TV to begin with.

I opted to send my children to a daycare center for a variety of reasons but access to TV was a factor.  I didn't want my kids parked in front of a TV.  I knew kids who were parked and I didn't want that. Plus, I was fortunate enough to have the luxury of shopping around.

That's not to say every home daycare uses TV but clearly from this study a lot do.  Of the programs surveyed, 70% of the home daycares admited using televison versus 36% of day care centers surveyed.  A pretty striking difference if you ask me. 

Even the amount of time spent in front of the TV was shocking.  2.4 hours at home daycares compared to 24 minutes at centers.

The study reminded me of a time when my girls were little and a television has made an appearance at daycare.  Most of the parents went berserk, including me.  I am as guilty as the next person of turning the TV on when the girls were small. But if I'm paying hundreds of dollars a month for care, it better not include a television.  I wanted to make that decision not my daycare provider.

What should people take from the study? Whether your kids are in a home-based daycare or a daycare center, make sure you know how much TV time your kids are getting and make sure it meets your standards.