If you become a parent, there’s a good chance that at some point, you’ll have to use a local daycare service. Millions of American children each year enter daycare, and the fact is that as more and more mothers begin to work full-time, that number will likely grow. Unfortunately, many parents struggle over whether or not to put their children in daycare. They may feel guilty about choosing daycare — sometimes due to the opinions of others. Certainly, no parent should feel guilty about choosing daycare. Daycare is a natural solution to the problem of childcare. Most parents who choose daycare do so because they need to make money and thus take care of their children in the long term. You aren’t doing anything wrong by choosing daycare — quite the opposite, in fact. But parents would perhaps feel better if they knew that the daycare they chose was not only caring for their children on a basic level, but enriching them as well. Although giving a child tender loving care is of course the most important part of child care, it’s not the only important component. Many children are quite young when they enter daycare for the first time, and the birth-to-three age range has the fastest period of brain development in a human being’s entire lifetime. Intellectual stimulation is an important part of childcare, but it’s just one of many things to think about when considering a local daycare service.
Affordable Daycare: The Reality
Let’s be honest: affordability is and always has been a major concern when it comes to daycare. Although many believe that the government should fund all daycares or at least compensate working parents for the money they spend on daycare, the reality is a bit removed from this ideal. It’s believed that over two-thirds of Americans agree that the government should do more to fund daycare for working parents, but until the government makes that move, there are ways you can save on daycare. For one thing, you should see if your family qualifies for federally-subsidized daycare. This is unfortunately unlikely, as only 22% of low income families qualify for federally-subsidized daycare. If you don’t qualify for federally-subsidized daycare, you may want to think about the commute from your home to your daycare center, and for that matter from your daycare center to work. If you want to save money on daycare, the best way is through going to a local daycare service to save money on your commute. You certainly don’t want to skimp on the quality of the daycare service. Money should not take priority over your child’s intellectual stimulation and engagement. Be prepared to compromise in other ways. But you would be amazed by how much an affordable local daycare service can offer.
Mind Over Matter: Engaging A Child At Daycare
The last thing you want is your child to be bored or unengaged at daycare. This can all too easily happen at the wrong daycare. The right daycare should be a place where your child can make potentially long-term friends. You may even want to ask about the age range of the children already at the daycare. Certainly, you should look into reviews and testimonials from other parents before you make your final decision. Some daycares offer trial periods through which your child can try out a daycare before you make a final decision — during that time, you may want to watch and see how your child interacts with each employee they’re in contact with. Don’t look at daycare as a time for your child to simply burn time until you pick them up. See it as an after school program, on many levels. Your child can work on their homework if they’re old enough. If not, they practice important skills like letters and numbers, and even their fine motor skills if they’re quite young.
The most important thing to remember is that a daycare is where your child will spend their time — so be picky!
