Day Care Gives Young Children a Positive Headstart

We’ve all heard all those unpleasant stories about day care. There are too many kids and too few caregivers. Our little ones are exposed to a million germs with lots of sneezing and wheezing. Little Jimmy Wan is always grabbing your child’s toy.

Everyone has something to say. But you have to get back to work and you have no choice. So, what are good parents to do? How about getting our stories straight!

There are plenty of benefits to sending your child to day care. If you consider some of these benefits, it will help you come to terms with your own decision, whether you have a choice or not. Once you understand all there is to gain, you’ll realize you’re helping your little ones grow into well rounded, happy children instead of feeling guilty.

Experts agree that day care offers a multitude of advantages for kids. These benefits are especially critical during early development. That’s why it’s a good idea to introduce kids to day care at a young age. 

Children need interaction with other kids. It's never too early to start engaging your infant or toddler in activities with other children, whether they are the same age as your child or not. Learning to interact with other kids prepares children for their first real school experience.

Day care just provides a gentler environment. There are less rules and more flexibility than strict teachers may impose in school. Yet, kids still learn about structure and routine.

Children benefit from day care by learning self-control, how to get along with others and how to share. They begin to learn all about peers and friendship. Without day care, your child only knows the home environment. Mommy becomes the child’s whole world.

Imagine how scary it would be to get into school at age four or five and find out that Mom won’t be there! Children benefit from day care by expanding their world to include people other than their parents.

Separation anxiety will be lessened (or not an issue at all) when kids go to school if they have attended day care. They are already used to being away from Mom for some time during the day.

Kids start to make new friends and become more independent. They no longer need Mom’s undivided attention. The transition from home to school is far less difficult for those who’ve experienced day care.

In addition to learning socialization skills, your child will also have the opportunity to learn some school basics such as the alphabet and numbers.

Good day care centers include a nice mix of activities during the day to teach different skills, such as singing, dancing, and storytelling. Not to mention the fact that kids in day care are constantly increasing their vocabulary.

This pre-preschool learning environment gives kids an understanding of what will be expected in kindergarten. They learn to sit and listen. They learn how to accept the information that will be presented in school.

Kids also become aware of teamwork. They are taught to respect the opinions and emotions of others. Entering school for the first time is challenging for all children, but those who have been in day care benefit by already having exposure to a classroom-like environment.

Ongoing research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development suggests that children in quality day care centers may even have an intellectual edge over those in other kinds of care settings. What is more, when researchers compared kids in quality day care to those in other, equally high-quality childcare situations, children in daycare performed a little better on tests.

Day care can also benefit as kids grow. Once your child enters school day care can help with homework and after-school care. Some day care facilities even offer after-school extracurricular activities like scout meetings, dance class, martial arts and on-site gymnastics instruction.

As you can see, there are many advantages of sending your child to a licensed, qualified day care establishment. Even though your child is away from you for a portion of his day, it is really the parents that make the most difference in a child’s life.

So, parents should take an active interest in the child’s day. When most kids get home from day care after spending a long day away from Mom and/or Dad, they are excited to talk all about their day. Ask them questions about friends, teachers and activities. Your child will eagerly recap the day at any age.

Kids love to vividly describe their day. It’s fun and intriguing  for a child especially if you show interest. Of course you’re interested, aren’t you? After all, this child, a mini version of yourself, is taking on the world one day at a time and the choices and desires she or he has will be a direct reflection of you. Make the most of that opportunity while you can. Children are only young for a short time.