The schedule these last few days of summer is rather intense, but it is necessary. After a summer home with your daughter who just turned one, it is now time to get back on a schedule that will work for the school year. Sleep has been the first order of business, so to speak, this summer. Early to bed and taking two fairly long naps a day, your young daughter has been a real pleasure this summer. She is almost ready to walk and she is increasing her vocabulary every week. Now that the summer is almost over, though, and it is time for you to get back in the classroom and your daughter to return to the child care center, you need to help her make the transition to one nap a day.
It will not be an easy transition, but you have loved this child care setting where your daughter went as an infant and you know that now that she is one she will be in a different room. The director and teachers have lots of activities and plans in place that will keep your daughter busy, and the schedule includes just one nap, long and late in the day.
Young Child Care Is a Priority for Many Families
Active learning is a major part of the best day care settings. Getting even the youngest infants involved in early childhood education means finding a setting that is both nurturing and engaging. It is important, for instance, to make sure that any room you select is full of books and other engaging materials. From floor mirrors and low ramps for infants who are just starting to navigate their space, to plenty of outdoor space for toddlers, it is important that parents select an environment that will keep their children engaged with their environment and their peers.
What parents are looking for when they are selecting a day care setting can vary from one family to the next, but here is a list of what you might want to focus on:
- The decision to go back to work after you have had a child is not an easy one to make. If, however, you know that the work place is the right decision for you, it is important to fid a day care setting that will meet your many needs.
- How early is the day care open and when does it close? You need to make sure that you find an environment that will meet your time schedule needs.
- Early chilhood education is important to children, so it is important to find a setting that fosters the love of learning in your infants and toddlers.
- Research indicates that In communities today, 11.3 million children take care of themselves after the school day ends. Most of these children would benefit from an after school care program instead of being home alone.
- Infants need to be in a rich educational environment that helps them grow and mature.
- Going back to work is a decision that many mothers make. In fact, 70.5% of mothers are in the labor force. This includes the 64.8% of mothers who have a child under the age of six.
- How often your child is read to can affect his or her development. Did you know, for instance, that reading aloud to children helps stimulate brain development? In spite of this proven fact, only 50% of infants and toddlers are routinely read to by their parents. Finding a day care setting that can reinforce the importance you place on reading is essential.
- The day care that you select should be aware of the fact that the development of the infant and toddler brain is essential. New advances in neural development show, in fact, that children’s brains grow and develop 85% of their full capacity by the time they are five years old. It is important to realize that during those first few years of life the very architecture of the brain is determined by the environment. Even the youngest of infants benefit from adult conversations and exposure to beautiful sounds and textures.
- Finding a day care setting that includes caring and nurturing care givers is important.
- Infants and toddlers need to have a clean, safe place.
- The child care setting you select should feel welcoming and enriching.