Truthfully, would you feel wary leavig your child at a playgroup where one of the workers was a man?

Question

Would you prefer a playgroup in which all of the workers there are female? Please be 100% honest here!
Somebody asked a question and it got me thinking, so thought I'd ask.

Chandra, read the question. Did I actually say a woman could care for a child better than a man?.. Nope

Answer 1

No.

I worked with autistic children (aged 2 to 9 years) in Hong Kong. Not even a playgroup. We were often left in a one-to-one environment. There were about 20 female staff, and only 2 male staff. The male staff members were always extremely popular actually, especially with the boys. (Autism primarily affects boys, 4:1 ratio). As the children had deficits in social and language skills, the position was a very responsible one. Parents have to leave their children in the care of others at some stage. As long as correct screening procedures are in place, does it matter whether the person caring for your child is male or female?

If I had children of my own, I would have no qualms about it.

Answer 2

I have no problem with that actually.
To be a playgroup leader or other worker or even a member of the playgroup committee, you have to go through a Police Check first. (I did).
So the man in the group will be just the same as a woman really.

Plus, in some families where there is no male influence, a man can actually be of assistance in giving a balanced upbringing.

Thats what I believe and you asked for a Truthful answer xx

Oh, and we had a man too!

Answer 3

I cant commit to a yes or no answer here!
Not all men are paedophiles... some women are not all there also.. look at rosemary west and mirah hindley and maxine carr... all not quite there when it came to children.
I am sure he will have been CRB checked before he was offered the post. I would ask the staff to be sure.
But on the other hand. I would be a bit wary.
My daughter goes to Beavers which is ordinarily male orientated as was designed for boy scouts... this is run by a guy but I have no problems with her going there. But a day nursery is different. Maybe ask if you can attend with your daughter for the day on a play day type idea and spend the day watching how he interacts with the children!

Answer 4

I was pretty open minded about this subject and did leave my child at playgroup where there was a man and she complained that he was mean to her and watched her in the bathroom which made her uncomfortable she was traumatised by for a while by this. So NO I would never do it again. They thing is he was only on work experience and I wasn't told he would be there, but even so because of the experience no I would defiantly not.

Answer 5

I feel a lot happier now that they have all the checks ect but I really think that a man can be just as safe as a woman and do just as good a job. After all children need a mum and dad to be conseived and a male infulance is really inportant for kids growing up. Some kids froim oneparent families may only have that male infulance in there lives

Answer 6

Not exactly sure what you mean by a play group. Is that like a couple hours of day care at the gym or something while you run off to do your thing? Are you trying to say that only men can be perverts or child molesters?

My kids go to friends houses for birthday parties and there is usually more fathers there then mothers.

Answer 7

I am traning in childcare and have worked in a pre-school with all female staff and seen how well they work with children. They have all had to be trained and throughly checked. It is the same for men - if not more so. I have a good friend on my course at college and the children I have seen him with respond to him extreamly well.
I wouldn't feel wary about leaving a child with him or any of the other trained people I have met - but I'd always ask to see qualifications from all staff in any settings!

Answer 8

To be 100% honest, I wouldn't feel as comfortable leaving my kids if a man was present. I would take additional steps to make sure there was a policy that he wasn't allowed alone with the kids, that there were always at least 2 people present around the kids. And I feel awful saying that because the vast majority of men have no ill intentions towards children, but I'm not willing to take the chance with my kids--have you ever checked out the sex offender registries, most of those guys look completely normal.

Answer 9

I have a 3 month old girl, I would feel stongly about leaving her with a playgroup of any kind, male or female, that I didn't know personally. But for an older child, I think I would prefer female workers. It's just personal preference, please don't take it personally.

Answer 10

I wouldn't leave any kid in any playgroup. Though, if the question applied, I wouldn't feel any more comfortable if all the workers were female, than if all the workers were male, as long as all the workers are humanoids (though, a chimpanzee may do).