Baby Elephant Orphanage Institution, Kenya

Comparison to alternatives
During the 20th century, conventional wisdom held that orphanages, especially large orphanages, were the worst possible care option for children. . In large institutions, babies may not receive enough eye contact, physical contact, and stimulation to promote proper physical, social or cognitive development.. This is particularly true of infants under three years of age. However, researchers at Duke University have shown that institutional care produces the same health, emotional, intellectual, mental, and physical outcomes as care by relatives, and better than care in the homes of strangers.
Some people maintain that permanent placement in an orphanage is strongly preferable to "permanent temporary foster care", the name for a long string of short stays with different foster care families. Indeed few would disagree that permanent temporary foster care is highly disruptive to the child, and prevents the child from developing a sense of security or belonging. Therefore foster care should focus on longer term placements. Compared to foster care, orphanages are generally the most expensive placement option.