The Benefits of Family Daycare

Two-income households are now the norm rather than the exception — a stark contrast to how families and households were a few decades ago. Because not every family can afford to hire a babysitter, parents are turning to child daycares to help raise and nurture their little ones as they set about earning money to put food on the table.

However, another growing trend is entrusting their toddlers to family daycare — this type of childcare boasts of a smaller, more intimate group, hence ensuring that your precious child gets the care and attention of the provider or minder (which is something that is a bit lacking in larger childcare institutions). What’s more, it is the more affordable and more flexible option compared to daycare centers, who charge by the hour and can be quite strict about drop-off and pick-up times.

A small privately operated child daycare is the best option for children because these establishments are actually instrumental in a child’s early development as interaction with other kids is essential in forming a normal development of your child. Here are just some of the benefits of letting your toddler interact with his/her peers:

Physical Development

A normal child daycare is equipped with plenty of kids-friendly and age-appropriate activities and toys to entertain and educate children. As children get used to their new environment,  their curiosity will naturally spur them to take part in such activities. Both their fine motor skills (such as picking up activity toys and learning how to handle utensils properly) and gross motor skills (running, jumping, etc.) will definitely improve.

Cognitive Development

Your child’s ability to focus and identify colors and sounds (especially animal sounds) will be developed in a family daycare setting. At Glukhova Child Care we will surely have activities planned out for the kids’ entertainment, and these are great opportunities for your little one to know the concept of space, be more specific in his/her communication (e.g. asking for orange juice instead of merely juice), and increase his/her attention to detail and attention span.

Plus, since the caregiver-to-child ratio is small, parents can be assured of personalized and individual care for their children. For example, should your child need attention, the provider will be able to address his/her concerns immediately.

Social Development

The smaller the group setting, the easier it is for kids to mingle with their peers. This is especially important if your little one is an introvert or is not yet used to interacting with a large group of people. In addition, because the kids’ ages in a family daycare vary, your child will learn how to deal and behave with older peers as well as younger ones. As a parent, you should rest easy knowing that your child’s social skills will be enhanced in such an environment. Unruly ones will more easily learn the importance of discipline and will have a better grasp on what constitutes proper behavior, both publicly and privately.

Language Development

Most child day cares have a mixed age group — toddlers, preschoolers, and boys and girls who are of elementary school age. This is beneficial to your kid, since he/she will be able to pick up words and phrases from his/her older peers — hence, there is a huge possibility that his/her vocabulary will be more advanced than what is expected at his/her age. The clarity of his/her speech will vastly improve as well.

Small family child daycares are becoming increasingly popular due to their well-rounded benefits when it comes to children growth and development in all areas: social, physical, mental, emotional, cognitive, and the like. If you ever find yourself waffling between enrolling your little one in a family daycare or a daycare center, it is highly advised that you go with the former.