You’ve sent your “big” kids back to school, but what about your toddler? Are you skeptical about sending your child to daycare after being at home with you everyday for so long? Although it can be a little scary at first as most new things are, there are some perks to sending your child to daycare such as:
- It will make your child healthier. Catching the occasional infection from daycare will strengthen your child’s immune system and protect them from chronic conditions like asthma and allergies.
- It will get them ready for school. Today’s daycare centers are cognitively enriching and stimulating, making kids more advanced as they enter kindergarten.
- It will kick-off their social life. Kids learn to socialize with others, make friends, assert themselves and learn that they don’t always come first.
Keep these tips in mind when you are searching for a good quality daycare center:
- There should typically be one staff member for every three babies between 6 and 18 months; a 1:4 ratio for kids between 18 months and 2 years; and a 1:7 ratio for 2- to 3-year-old.
- There should be a maximum of six babies per “class”; eight 18- to 24-month-olds; and fourteen 2- to 3-year-olds.
- Staff members should have certification or degrees in child development or early-childhood education.
- The daycare should have state government certification. Accreditation by a national organization is good addition.
- If you get a funny feeling about a center for whatever reason always go with your gut and keep looking.
Tips from Parenting.
That’s an interesting point that being exposed to some diseases at daycare could help your kids have a better immune system down the road. Being sick less often sounds great, so I definitely would want that for my kids. I should consider taking them to daycare so that they could have that as well as the mental and social benefits.