Are you on the fence about whether daycare is the right choice for your family? There are many types of child care available, but here are some benefits of daycare you may want to consider.
Continuous Care: Most child-care centers offer care from the early months of infancy through toddlerhood, and sometimes even beyond. Adjusting to new environments can be difficult for your little one. A daycare can offer continuous care that allows your child to stay with caregivers they already know without having to switch providers as they get older.
Education: A well-organized program is geared to your tot’s development and growth. A quality Sherwood Park daycare will offer educational programs for each stage of development and will be taught by early childhood educators you can trust. Additionally, daycare not only helps prepare little ones for kindergarten, but a study by the U.S National Institutes of Health found that children enrolled in high-quality daycare had better academic and cognitive achievement scores in their teens.
Socialization: Your baby will get lots of face time with other little ones. Learning positive social skills is especially important in your child’s early years. A daycare is a welcoming and safe place to interact with their peers and learn skills like sharing, cooperative problem-solving, and patience- all of which the whole family will appreciate! Children will also be spending time with adults who are not their family, which enables them to see other adults as positive authority figures and mentors.
Meal Plans: Many daycares provide food; this can include breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. A meal plan will be available ahead of time, and parents can discuss any allergies with their provider. Some centers may even be able to make accommodations.
Cost: If you’re planning to go back to work and need someone to watch after your child while you’re away, daycare tends to be less expensive than hiring a nanny. Daycare will run you less on your monthly budget while also providing the many extra benefits that center-based child care offers.
Reliability: Speaking of extra benefits, using a daycare as your child-care provider is arguably going to be the most reliable. Most centers stay open for about 12 hours to support a variety of parent schedules, and if any of the staff get sick or go away on vacation, the daycare is responsible to provide backup. This saves you from having to call all your neighborhood babysitters in a mommy-crazed panic when your regular provider can’t make it!
Specific to group daycare: A daycare centre is required to have a license. This means that they follow a set standard of care to meet your child’s health, safety, and developmental needs. Center-based daycares will also take the children out on exciting field trips and provide fun, educational activities for every stage of their development!
Specific to home daycare: There are fewer children than you’d find at a group daycare centre — which may mean more personal attention and less exposure to illness. Home daycares also may be easier for your child to adjust to, as the environment will be similar to their own home.
Whatever your child-care needs, a daycare has many positive benefits for all types of families. If you would like to see if daycare is the right choice for your family, we would love to give you a tour of County Place Daycare call today to book your tour 780-417-5008
