Childcare Webcams

Some 300-400 US day-care centers have Webcams, USATODAY reports, and their promoters are going after schools as well. The article cites one mom who actually chose her 17-month-old's provider, The Learning Curve in Gilbert, Ariz., because it allowed her to "click into" her child's day this way (with a user name and password and only for parents of kids 2 and under). She tries to limit herself to two checks a day - to get a handle on her daughter's eating routine and when she wakes up from her nap. "The Web cams, each about the size of a smoke detector, capture all the playroom action from the ceilings of the center, giving parents a wide-angle view. Parents cannot hear sounds when watching their children online, the service does not have zoom capabilities, and changing areas are never shown," USATODAY adds.