The Benefits Of Sending Your Child To A Larger Daycare Center

After spending your child's first few years with them at home, the idea of sending them to daycare at a larger childcare center can seem intimidating. Your first thought may be to send them to a smaller, in-home daycare center or to employ a private babysitter, and for some kids, one of these options truly is best. However, many kids do actually benefit from attending larger, more formal daycare centers. Here are a few advantages of this approach.

Your child will meet more other children.

If you simply hire a babysitter, your child will meet few or no other children. If you send them to a small daycare center, they'll meet a couple of other kids, but if their personalities don't mesh, this can actually be harder for them. At a larger childcare center, they will learn how to interact with many different personalities, and they'll have a chance to form friendships with those who they naturally get along with best. These are important life skills to build.

Your child will have access to a greater variety of activities.

Larger childcare centers have larger facilities, with a larger facility means more space to incorporate activities. There may be separate tables or areas for arts and crafts, fields to play soccer and other games, and in some cases, pools where kids can wade and take swimming lessons. Smaller daycare centers may have one or two different activities available, but never as many as larger daycare centers.

Your child is likely to have leaders with formal childcare training.

Larger daycare centers usually hire people with teaching certifications and degrees in early childhood education. This is not always true of smaller daycare centers. Yes, staff are trained and friendly, but not always as thoroughly educated. There is comfort in knowing that your child is in the hands of a knowledgeable professional with a formal degree.

Your child will get used to a school-like environment.

A year or two down the road, your child will need to attend school. A larger daycare center is a good in-between step along the way. It will give your child a chance to adapt to the more formal setting before a lot of educational expectations are also put on them.

Larger daycare centers are sometimes seen as impersonal and more stressful for kids, but this is not actually the case. A good daycare center has a lot to offer for parents and kids.

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