One of the first big decisions that parents need to make pertaining to their child’s future is choosing a care center. Unlike those days, most parents opt to leave their child for a few hours in a day care center whether or not both parents are working. One main reason for this is, nuclear families are increasing in number and therefore, there aren’t many people at home for the child to interact and develop social skills and interpersonal relationships. So, it has become mandatory for parents to leave their child for several hours of the day in a reliable care center.
There are parents who are not certain whether they can leave their children in a care center at an early age of three or four; however, with ‘single child’ concept spreading tremendously, children do not have anyone to play with or interact at home. They need kids of their age group to play, learn, grow and enjoy. So, attending a good care center will be a great option for these children.
Here are the benefits of putting your child in a care centre:
There are many benefits that your child can get from being in child care. Once your child is enrolled in the care centre, they are placed in a structured program with other children. This will help your child to learn how to socialize with others and how to be part of a team. They get to learn how to share with others and how to resolve conflicts. Since the children follow a certain routine, they will not have a problem settling in once they join school.
A care center offers your child the opportunity to learn at an early age through observation and play which improves their intellectual abilities. The care centres are being inspected every time to ensure that they adhere with the legislative requirements. This means that your child will be in a safe environment that has the required health and safety standards. Care centres are required to have a certain adult to child ratio which means that your child will get the attention that she needs.
Children in disadvantaged homes are less likely to have ample cognitive/ intellectual stimulation as within the home environments. Such type of stimulation are found in such care learning programs, which can greatly help in narrowing the existing achievement gaps. In fact, the study revealed that the intellectual and social benefits derived from preschool learning extended far beyond a child’s early years and on to his/ her adult life. Even at 40 years of age, such a child would have much better economic performance, educational outcomes and far less commission of crime.
The interactions among children and with teachers, afforded by a preschool learning environment, are great opportunities for young kids to sharpen their communication skills. This also helps in building much better social skills, which they would not have otherwise achieved.
Therefore, the best way to ensure that your child easily settles in when she joins care center is to interact extensively with the staff. They should be aware about any special requirements your child has and what makes her calm down when she is agitated. The more the staff know about your child, the better placed they will be to handle her. You can visit the care center with your child before the actual start date so that she can begin to get used to the environment. You can also carry her favorite toy so that she can have something to comfort her.
