Daycare centres for kids: Pros and cons

Daycare centres for kids: Pros and cons

Introduction:

When both parents are working, daycare centres comes to rescue of childcare during their working hours. It is a good option when both parents cannot stay at home to look after the child. However, even stay-at-home parents are now opting for daycare centres or preschools for children before 3 years of age so that they could learn to socialize with others and get used to the way they are supposed to be at schools. It is a training session before sending children to school, to praise them with the needful, to make them ready to spend few hours away from mothers and to teach them the basics. There are advantages of sending children to daycare but there are few drawbacks too which parents must consider before taking this decision.

Pros:

1. In the early days of growing up children need to be introduced to other children of the same age to be able to socialize with them and learn basic skills of interaction. At daycare, children are exposed to another world which is fun, though different from their routine living, and is beneficial for the child to learn adapting to different places. They become active and interactive at daycare centres.

2. Most children cry on the first day of their school since there is a fear of meeting people they don't know so well and then there is fear of going out from the protective shell of home amid parents. Daycare centres help children in developing this habit slowly and softly so that they get used to it and also enjoy in the process making it a pleasant experience.

3. In the early years of development, a child's mind is the brightest and more likely to absorb new things they see and learn around them. This is the stage where most of the brain development happens according to scientific studies. Daycare centres and play schools include activities like signing, dancing, art, craft, free-play, storytelling, indoor as well as outdoor sports and basic studying. These activities are so planned that the child benefits from it and also finds them enjoyable. Fun way of learning is the best way to start before sending children to proper schools.

4. It has been found that initially most children are shy towards outsiders. They would refuse to answer their questions and some introvert children even have difficulty remembering things when they are exposed to someone new. They tend to get cranky and stubborn. Daycare is the best solution for shy children as they get to learn from interaction with children of similar age and in a rather fun way. Before reaching out to kindergartens, it is very beneficial if the child has attended a daycare or pre-school in the past.

5. Daycare is excellent for speech clarity training of children. Children have the tendency to learn faster from other children of the same age than from an adult. Ever seen how one toddler starts crying too when they see another toddler crying? There is an instant responding capability in children to those of their age. Since there are always more than one person in a single class at daycare, there is nothing to worry about children crying altogether.

6. Though children mean everything for mothers but there is no denying that every woman needs some time for herself. Sending children to daycare gives stay-at-home mothers some time to relax and for herself. This has known to make mothers more patient towards handling children for the rest of the day.

Cons

1. A child's immune system is not completely developed until the age of 2. At daycare or play-schools children are exposed to germs and sickness that other children carries with them. Even the cleanest of daycare centres cannot guarantee complete sterilization to germs which other children suffering from common cold or cough carries along. Your child will get sick more and there would be more visits to the doctor.

2. At the tender age of 2-3 years children need individual care and attention from parents or any sort of caretaker like private babysitter. Daycare centres usually have group activities and the teacher student ratio is not appropriate enough to give complete attention to each child. This can curb the individual development of children instead of augmenting as most daycare centres would promise. It all depends on what kind of daycare centre you are sending your child to and making sure of it is a difficult task these days.

3. It is during the first few years after birth that a child develops the special bond with parents and family members. The child might feel neglected if left at daycare centres during these early years. There is a reason why schooling age is determined after 3 years of age and sending children to play schools and daycare centres is in one way neglecting this rule. Either of the parents should stay at home to look after the child or they can alter shifts to stay with the child.

4. Children going to daycare are known to have behavioural issues, especially if they are learning bad manners with the peer they spend half of their day with. Some children tend to get aggressive and stubborn after attending daycare at the tender age of 2-3 when they are more likely to adapt well in the peaceful environment of home.

Conclusion

Whether or not to send a child to daycare is the mutual decision of the parents considering if one of them could stay at home or not. Most organization are now providing work-from-options to new mothers and even fathers can opt for this if their job allows them to. However, if both parents cannot stay at home daycare is the only option they have. After careful consideration of the daycare centres available near their working place, parents can rely on these play schools to take care of the child.