Parents, what do you think about putting a 4 year old in daycare this long?

I am a licensed child care provider in my home. Many children attend child care for 9-10 hours each day and do perfectly fine. If your happy with the care facility and your daughter likes it there it has potential to work out just fine. A lot depends on your attitude about the arrangements. If you are feeling guilty or sad, she'll sense it. I wouldn't go too far overboard and plan on spending the entire weekend together unless she wants to. At 4 years old, she is going to begin the transition to a bit more independence and she may very well want some time alone or even want to have a few play-dates on weekends with friends. Parents need to do what needs to be done and work with whatever happens. If you focus on quality time verses quantity, you can make whatever time you do have meaningful and enjoyable. There are many children who are in care that many hours during the day and things work out just fine. I had one family who I cared for their 2 children 12 hours each day due to their work schedules and the distance away they both worked. Both of those "children" are now high school graduates and doing just fine.