Making child care choices as a parent can seem overwhelming. There is so much research out there and so many options. How do you choose what is best for your child and your family? Here are just a few of the benefits when parents choose to enroll their children in day care programs.
Socialization at Day Care Programs
Day care programs are ideal for socialization!
Many parents opt for day care programs to educate and socialize their children. If a parent were to hire a nanny, the child may only interact with one person each day.
While your child receives undivided attention with a nanny, she only sees one person. Children who spend time with other children and authority figures are more socialized.
Children who have only spent time with their parents may encounter problems when meeting another adult authority figure. At a child care center, your child gets used to taking instruction from other adult authority figures besides you as her parents. This can make the transition from home to the classroom easier for her.
Quality Curriculum at Day Care Programs
Child care is about safety and supervision. Not all child care options include an educational aspect. Spending time in a day care program can better prepare your child to handle the structure and length of a school day. Help your child learn by enrolling her in a day care program that has a good curriculum. This can help her understand that learning is fun!
Teachers at child care programs can help your child learn so she is ready for kindergarten. Studies show that enrolling your child in a day care program has long-term academic and social benefits. These studies also show that children who had a “high-quality child care” were four times more likely to graduate college with a degree.
A quality child care center program will include an educational aspect at every age range. As you search for a day care program in Langhorne or Yardley, find a child care center that emphasizes education. You can help your child understand the world around her and engage her curiosity through these programs!
Day Care at Children Central Child Care and Learning Center
Start at Children Central Child Care and Learning Center today!
At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, we offer day care programs for children six weeks old through kindergarten-age. Our team offers child care solutions for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. We also offer an after school program for kids in kindergarten through age 11.
Children Central Child Care and Learning Center is a Keystone STARS 4 rated program. As a parent, you can take comfort knowing your child is in the best hands. She will learn every day in a safe, secure, and encouraging environment!
Our teachers and caretakers our trained and have undergone background checks. You can have the peace of mind knowing that each morning your child is around adults with the knowledge and skills to care for and educate your little one. Enroll your child in a day care program at Children Central Child Care and Learning Center today!
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You mentioned that studies show that enrolling your child in a daycare program has long-term academic and social benefits. Do most daycare centers offer programs that help prepare children for elementary school? My friend’s wife recently got offered a good job, which will require her to take her children to daycare. Finding a good program might be very beneficial.
I’ve always wondered about what benefits come from having your child attend a day care. I didn’t even think about the fact that they get so many more opportunities to socialize! I might actually have my son start attending, because he hasn’t gotten much social experience.
Thank you for your question. I would say that the top and only the best preschool programs prepare children well for kindergarten, and for their future education. In PA., the Keystone STAR 3 and 4 schools are the highest rated by an independent organization, so these schools usually are the best for children. The STARS organization confirms that the curriculum follows the PA. early learning standards, which means the school is teaching what the research shows each age level should be learning. In addition to the rating of a program, it is important to visit the school, meet Administration and their teachers, and make sure the program is right for your friend’s family. Things to look for when a visit is made are: does the school have a chef (not just a teacher helping out) to prepare a delicious and nutritious food program, hires professional cleaners each evening, has a security monitoring system, includes a music program, has owners who are present and involved, and makes you feel very comfortable knowing your child would attend each day. It is always a big decision where to send a child while a parent is at work or school, so you want to make sure you can put your trust in the owners and director.
I like your suggestion to consider a day care program that has a good curriculum. i’ll make sure to look into this as we decide on a place for our child to go. Should their entire day be structured learning, or is it good for them to have tome for free play too? I want to make sure I give my child the best educational foundation.
Hi April,
The best preschool programs provide a structured play early learning program. Yes, there should definitely also be time available for free play too! It is fun and great for the children to have a nice, large playground available for free play with approved safe equipment. Children need to learn how to play together on their own, how to resolve conflicts for their age level, and how to socialize. These are all part of both structured learning through play, and during free time.
I’m considering putting my daughter in a daycare. Thanks for the advice about how a daycare benefit is socialization with other children. It would also be smart to get a daycare that balances outdoor and indoor activity.
Hi Sarah,
I agree with you. At Children Central we fortunately have both a spacious playground, and also a very fun indoor play area called the Discovery Village. It is full of storefronts to allow the children to take part in dramatic play and role play activities. There is also a fun and colorful ball pit, which even has a slide. The teachers will use the Discovery Village on bad weather days, but also even on the nice days as the children love to play in the indoor play area. This is all in addition to all of the classroom acvitites performed throughout the day.
If you want your child to socialize at daycare, you should find a facility that allows for him/her to do that. You should also listen to your child and their concerns. That way you can see if they are actually enjoying themselves or not. If not, you can find a facility that will allow him/her to have a good time and make friends.
Hi Kendall,
Hi Kendall,
I agree, however socialization skills and having a ‘good time and making friends’ are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I would say they are one and the same. A well run preschool has a structured play program throughout the day that is a well balanced combination of academic and socialization skills. Children learn a tremendous amount through both structured and free play programs. Socialization skills happens naturally during the day as children learn how to play with children of the same age, how to resolve conflicts, share, and improve their verbal skills as they learn a lot from each other, as well as from their teachers.
These are some great reasons why socialization is important for you child, especially since it helps with transitions. Day care centers seem like prime places for this to happen. I’ll have to remember this when I have children of my own. For now, I’m sure my sister would appreciate learning about this.
My brother just had another baby boy. It was interesting to learn that day care programs ensure that your kids learn new things in a safe and secure environment. I hope that this article can help to take a little bit of stress of my brother since he now has 3 kids.
I had no idea that children with a high quality child care were four times more likely to graduate college with a degree! My sister has been thinking of enrolling her child in a day care program in preparation for kindergarten, but she wasn’t sure how he would handle being away from her all day at this point. Your point about teachers at this type of program helping the child be ready for kindergarten would help her feel more comfortable. I also imagine that spending some time away from home in preparation for school would make the transition a little easier.
My wife just got offered a promotion that would make it so she could not be home when our children get home from school You mentioned that spending time in a day care program can better prepare your child to handle the structure and length of a school day. Do most daycare centers offer different levels of educational instruction? Finding a reputable daycare center could be our best option.
Hi Derek,
Congratulations to your wife on her promotion!
The quality of educational programs can vary greatly depending on the center. In PA., the state helps families to make a good decision by designating programs with its Keystone STARS ratings and observations. Many families are not aware that the Keystone STARS reps only go to visit STAR 3 and 4 rated programs. (STAR 1 and 2 are called ‘paper designations’ and no visit or observation is made). A STAR 4 rated program has scored the highest rating a preschool program can earn in the state of PA. I would suggest visiting a few STAR 3 and 4 rated programs to see the differences in person and get a good feel for where you believe your child would do well, and your family would be comfortable knowing your child is in a high a high quality program while you are at work.
Wow, I never knew that not all day care programs have an educational aspect to them. My first child is old enough, now, that I want to find him a good day care, but I really want there to be an educational aspect to wherever he goes. I guess I will just have to really check and make sure the place I select has some sort of academic learning that could benefit him before he goes to preschool.
I know when I was a kid, my favorite thing about going to daycare was hanging out with my friends. I would wake up during nap time and play with my friends even though we weren’t supposed to. I really like what was said about parents wanting their kids to be in daycare for the social aspect. I know a lot of kids don’t get to get out and socialize very much, so daycare is a great thing to do!
Great list of reasons why daycare is good. I agree that having a child in daycare helps them become more social. I think that it also helps them learn to how interact with other children and adults. This should be something to keep in mind for a family who have both parents working.
Thanks for bringing to my attention the socializing benefits of daycare. None of my close friends or family members have any young kids, so my daughter doesn’t really have much opportunity to play with other children. I think it would be good for her to have more contact with kids her age, so maybe I could take her to a daycare every once in a while.
I loved when you talked about how a good daycare helps children socialize and make friends. It is important to remember that taking the time to consult with several facilities can help you find the one that is the most convenient for you. As I see it, you can always search the web and the BBB for good leads.
My husband and I are looking to place our daughters in a day care. We want to make sure this will be beneficial for their education and development. As you said, not all child care programs include an educational program, but a quality facility will have education for every age.
I really like that you touched on how after school daycare can help a child’s social abilities. My son will be attending school soon and I think it could be good for him to have a daycare program after that each day. This would not only help me and my wife get hours in at work but also help ensure he has the ability to socialize with his peers as he grows up.
Kevin, I love your point about how a child may only learn to socialize with one person if they have a nanny versus the socialization they’ll learn if they’re surrounded by other children at a day care center. I also like how you pointed out that children learn to take instructions from an adult authority. My cousin just had her first child a few months ago. She’s looking to go back to work at some point. She was talking about how she’s not sure if she should hire a babysitter or enroll her in a day care. After reading this, it sounds like there’s a lot of great benefits by putting her into a good daycare center.
I like how you mentioned how day care helps a child to work on their social skills. I’m glad that you included that at these centers your child gets used to taking instruction from different adults. My friend has a child who she’s been considering sending to child care. Taking into account these things could be helpful for her when making that transition.
I like that you mentioned how daycare provides much more interaction and an opportunity to make new friends. I met one of my best friends as a kid at daycare and it was really good for me. I want the same for my son, so I will be looking for a quality daycare in the near future.
Kenneth – I am glad that you found one of your best friends during your early years in preschool! These days parents tend to focus only on the academic benefits, but it remains equally important for children to develop their socialization skills at an early age. Learning how to make new friends, sharing, learning in a group environment, how to listen to and respect teachers, and following a structured play/learning program throughout the day are all important skills to master for a young child. A high quality early learning program will also focus on these skills, as they teach the required academics.
My wife and I have been thinking about putting our son in daycare while we are away at work, but we aren’t sure where to look. I like that you suggest finding a daycare that emphasizes education. This sounds like a great way to get him prepared for real school, so we’ll be sure to look for this.