Unexpected Benefits of Day Care
Written by on April, 6, 2015.
When you want to go back to school as a parent, figuring out a good childcare situation can be tough. You want your child to be well cared for, but you know that continuing your education is important for the success of you and your family. If you've ever been concerned about whether putting your kids in daycare is the right thing to do, you might not have considered all the benefits daycare kids get.
Along with giving you time for school, daycare can have some surprising extra advantages for children and parents alike. Read on fo r seven unexpected benefits of daycare.
1) Social Interactions Among Parents
When you enroll your kids in daycare, you suddenly gain access to an entire social support system. You'll meet other parents whose kids spend every weekday with your own. You might find with time that you begin to form friendships with these parents and develop a social network of people who understand what you're going through.
These other parents can also offer you a valuable support system when it comes to your kids. You can help one another out and exc hange stories and advice.
2) Social Interactions Among Kids
Obviously, when your kids go to daycare, they'll spend many hours every week with other children. As they interact with other kids, they'll develop important social skills that will prepare them for grade school and later life. For example, your kids might have more exper ience with sharing, negotiation, and conflict resolution in social situations than children who stay at home.
3) Access to Educated Professionals
Depending on which daycare center you choose, the staff will be generally well-educated. Many centers employ professionals with de grees in, and experience with, child development. Not only does this mean the people who care for your children will be able to properly teach and encourage them, but it also gives you access to a wealth of knowledge.
If you have a question about your child's behavior, you can talk to the daycare staff. They will know your child personally and can gi ve you individualized advice on how to deal with certain issues.
4) Strong Immune Systems
As your kids spend time with many other people and children, they'll undoubtedly pick up some extra germs and illnesses. While thi s might seem like a bad thing, many medical professionals and researchers now agree that some exposure to germs early in life helps bui ld a strong immune system later.
So even if your children seem to come home with the sniffles every other week, keep in mind that they're building a solid foundation for a healthy body later.
5) Cognitive Development
Daycare centers often emphasize education alongside play and social interactions. This means your children will start to build an edu cational foundation for school long before they go to kindergarten. By the time they arrive at grade school, they should already have go od language skills and cognitive development in place.
6) Academic Success
Along with earlier cognitive development, some studies have shown that daycare can give kids an academic boost all the way into hi gh school. Children in daycare have often shown to do better in school than those who stayed at home.
Daycare has big benefits for mothers as well as children. When you put your kids in daycare, you can focus on school and rest assur ed that your children are in good hands. Although you'll always have some stress related to your kids and their wellbeing, it will be much easier to focus on your academics if you know your children are being cared for by competent professionals.
When you put your children in daycare, it gives you time to further your education and pursue valuable opportunities. If you're cons idering going back to school, don't be afraid to do what's best for your family. Your children might just thrive at daycare.