When it is time to get back to work after you have had a baby, you are usually thinking about one of the two options: sending your child to a trusted daycare program or hiring a nanny.
Now, a daycare is an amazing option if the hours of your work are well-defined. It is important to mention here that there is no real rush to have your children socialize, as this is the primary reason why parents are eager to send their children to daycare.
When to Opt for a Daycare
Typically, it is after eighteen months that babies begin to engage and pretend to play with other kids. However, this is completely your decision whether or not you choose to have your child in a group environment. If you do so, then daycare programs might be a great option for you.
When it comes to selecting a daycare, the big criteria is going to be the following:
- Hours of operation
- Days of care
- Budget
- Location
So, you will want to determine what you are looking for, as it matters the most. Now, this might mean that one of those criteria might not perfectly suit you, and you might need to splurge a little bit for a daycare that offers after 5 pm hours.
You might need to travel a little bit further for a daycare that really meets your needs but isn’t ideally in the location that you are living in.
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How to Pick Out a Daycare
List down your criteria before you start to check out openings near you. Also, when choosing one of the daycare programs, you wouldn’t want to check their license as well. Once you create a list, you will want to tour one of these facilities.
Touring the chosen daycare facility is incredibly important as you will want to get a feel for where the drop-off is and how the drop-off is really coordinated. You will also want to meet the staff and check out the activities they plan for the child’s day, what structure there is, and what structure there isn’t.
Sometimes, it is nice to have independent playtime. This is also the time when you want to trust your eyes, ears, and your parental instincts. When it comes to trust, this is really important because there are two types of trust.
You will want to assess trust of character and trust of competency. Also, you want the staff to be good people, and you want them to be honest. You also want to staff or the person looking after your child to care and have a good heart.
Unfortunately, honest, caring, and hard-working people aren’t always going to be the people who are most competent to take care of your child. If you are paying for a daycare, you want to ideally get both of those: someone you can trust when it comes to their character and someone you can trust when it comes to being competent and following out the tasks that you would like for your child.
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