Child Care Tips For First Time Parents

If this is your first child, then you are more than likely going to be very protective. At some point, however, you will need to start to seriously think about child care and what avenue you want to pursue. You may not even realise there are multiple different types of child care and that they offer different advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few quick pointers that should help you make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing what type of child care you want for your firstborn when the time comes. 

Day Care

The term day care almost always refers to a specifically built location that is made for hosting children. These places are great for the socialisation of your child, as they will get to meet a range of different caregivers and other kids. There is also a lot more room for them to run around and lots of different activities that are run by the staff, as well as, a supply of food from either a caterer on-site or pre-ordered food. All in all, it is just like a mini-school but with less emphasis on education and more on fun and early childhood development.

Family Day Care

It may not seem like a big difference, but when you add the term family in front of day care, the whole meaning changes. This type of child care is based out of the home of one of the caregivers. This means that it is a much more close-knit environment, and the children develop deep connections with someone they trust. There are far fewer people there, so the children have more one-on-one time and often parents of younger children prefer this type of child care earlier on. 

Preschool

Preschool is a level above day care where the focus starts to shift from merely minding the children towards preparing them for academic learning. They may get a headstart on some of the more basic elements of the curriculum they will go through in kindergarten and year one, but it will be tailored to the child, so they are not overwhelmed. These are separate from day cares and should not be rushed into until the child is at a certain age where they are able to concentrate for longer periods of time, which is why sending them to day care so that they can develop to that point is often encouraged.