Early Childhood Development
While expecting our first baby, I considered the option of going back to work or stay at home to care for my baby. The choice for the latter worked well for me at that time. Within the second year of both my children’s lives, I became a work at home mum and decided to enrol them at Daycare for half day. The idea was to benefit them in reaching their full potential and to balance their developmental experiences.
Working parents have a BIG decision to make after having a baby. One asks, who will care, supervise and provide for their baby when they go back to work? This can be one of the most difficult decisions for most parents. They need to decide what type of environment will best suit their child’s development.
Early child care is an extremely important and often overlooked component of child development.
There are many things parents need to consider when looking for a professional Childcare Centre or any other form of Childcare.
Childcare Centre
Creche
A Creche is small in size with a small ratio of children where care becomes more individualised with babies and toddlers mixed in one group.
Daycare
A Daycare has a multitude number of children and therefore age groups are separated with more children in each group.
Creche-Daycare Supervision
A Creche–Daycare offers supervised fun and play in a healthy and safe environment more specifically for babies and young toddlers. Their main focus is to care and provide for the needs of children. This includes play, meals, snacks, naps, changing times and potty training. These facilities provide a reasonable fee structure and often open early. They are also able to care for children for around 12 hours in a day.
The Staff are qualified with Early Childhood Development Certificates. Their training includes first aid and CPR. Background checks and reference verifications are also a requirement.
Caregiver
A Caregiver or a Family Member takes care of one or a two children inside their own home with no license or background checks. The Caregiver meets the needs of working families, allowing for more interaction between child and parent. Parents are able to check and communicate at any time of the day on a personal level and feel less stressed if they are running late. Caregivers also keep your child, for example if the child is sick which enables parents to continue working normally without being interrupted.
Stay Home Parent
A Stay Home Parent dedicates majority of their time raising their own children, nurturing and developing them into good social beings. Parents are, however the initial facilitators in the development of their infants cognitive, social, and emotional growth. This is when development by teaching, listening to, playing with and exploring takes place.
If you cannot afford to be a stay home parent, then one of the above choices will be suitable for your child’s care.
