Truthfully, most children have problems adjusting to daycare atmosphere after being at home for so many years. The transition between home and this type of environment will go much more smoothly if the child is trusted to a high quality place of care. Many parents take comfort in their choices because they are able to choose a family member or friend as a provider. Many other resources exist for those that know where to look for them.
A child’s daycare is often determined through the recommendations of any acquaintances with children. Whether the information you gain is in favor or against certain facilities, these can be an immensely helpful resource. Personalities and individual quirks play a role in fitting provider and child, so you should be sure to take that into account if you hear conflicting stories, though consistently negative accounts should warn you to avoid that provider.
An additional resource is the Department of Social Services, as it can give you the names of the daycare workers that are licensed. Many times, a great source to utilize is the child’s primary physician because they tend to hear all things good and bad about their patients’ lives. Newspaper ads can be a way to find child care professionals, as can your phone book. Once you have an idea for a provider, take the child to meet them. It is definitely to the child’s benefit to do this, because it allows him or her to meet the person who is going to be taking care of them, and removes the being left alone with stranger?
If the daycare permits, let your child take any comfort object with them. This should help ease the sense of homesickness that many children feel during the first few weeks. Sending a picture of yourself with the child is not necessarily a bad idea, although for many children, it will only cause further distress. For many, the most helpful step is to simply stay with the kid until their attention is fully devoted to a new activity. If you give a time to your child that you will return and pick them up, make sure you are there on time. This information will make the transition to daycare easier on the child because they will be able to know that their guardian will come back for them.
You can help your child enormously by simply being cheerful as you send them off. If you send a negative message, or if you seem upset, your child will only be ten times worse than she or he already was. After a steady row of prolonged crying – usually for about fifteen minutes – children bounce back and are at play. When leaving, a simple good-bye is best, followed with a quick walk out the door away from the child’s wails, no matter how hard it may be, when returning, make your time with the child long and devoted.
Posted in Family Life