Parenthood is more than just a life-altering experience. Yes, it is perhaps the best thing that ever happened to you, but it is also a road fraught with uncertainty. Just like it is with Daycare! The truth is, entrusting your little one to the care of complete strangers is one of the most difficult decisions you will make as a parent.
If there is one thing you will find plenty of when it comes to Parenting, it’s that constant sense of ‘back-and-forth’ when it comes to even the most basic things. It won’t come as a surprise, then, that many parents find themselves switching Daycare, all so that their children can get the best possible care they deserve.
In this article you will learn all about when to change Daycare Providers. That doesn’t mean you change your Childcare Provider if there are a mere few ‘hiccups’ along the way. It’s not easy for parents themselves to raise their children, and so it’s only natural to not expect ‘perfection’ from any Daycare Provider. That being said, we still want the ‘best’, don’t we? Read on to find out the most common reasons parents switch childcare providers!
8 Reasons Parents Switch Childcare Providers
It’s vital for parents to be aware of what’s happening at the Daycare their child is going to. Presenting the most important reasons that make a case for switching daycare.
- A Lack of Engaging Activities
- The Staff is constantly changing
- The lack of Communication
- A Marked Change in Behaviour
- Poor Hygiene
- More focus on Formal Learning Methods
- Things don’t change over time
- Lax Security
You don’t wish to merely send your child to a ‘safe space’, where they are well-fed and rested till you come back to get them. You want them to be able to indulge in a plethora of Activities that will not only serve to keep them constantly engaged, but also work towards their holistic development. These might include simple Games and even Workshops, to satiate those young, impressionable minds. If your Daycare Centre is not willing to upgrade where it comes to sprucing up their list of activities, it might be time to change your Daycare.
Children thrive on a sense of ‘consistency’. The last thing they want is for their caregivers to be constantly changing. They might have just formed a close bond with one of them, only to find out they have been replaced by another. This is quite common in some Daycare centers, simply because of the low pay given to childcare providers, and lack of growth opportunities. If you’re mulling over When to Change Daycare Providers, this might just be the last straw that helps you take that decision!
It might hurt parents to not be around their children all the time. The very least they expect, is to at least be intimated as to how their child fared in Daycare. And no, you don’t want to wait till the end of the month to get a report. One of the top reasons parents switch childcare providers is because they find themselves in the dark where it comes to basic things, like how their child is eating!
Note: Ensure you get at least a Weekly Report on how your child is faring in Daycare, if not a Daily one.
Is your child happy at home? There’s a good reason for them to be! After all, they are in their Comfort Zones! That being said, there’s no reason they should be unhappy in Daycare. It might be tough initially, but they will settle over time.
Note: If you get constant reports from your Daycare, that your child is continually cranky, this is a red flag. Especially if they are the polar opposite at home!
You might be obsessive-compulsive where it comes to cleaning at home. After all, you don’t want your baby to get any of those infections doing the rounds! Have you ever thought, if the Daycare environment might be even ‘half’ as clean?
Tip: You could avail of a routine inspection that will help you satisfy your concerns about the overall cleanliness of your Daycare Centre. If they meet the exalted level of your expectations, they will have nothing to hide, and have no objection towards that inspection. If they don’t, it might be a cause of serious concern.
There is all the time in the world, for a more ‘formal’ education for our children. When they are little, they must be able to ‘play’ more. Needless to say, they will ‘learn’ as they play, too. Your Childcare Centre might be getting your children to complete Worksheets, far more than indulging in those Activities we talked about in the first point. That’s when you might seriously want to consider moving them to another Daycare.
Of course, we cannot expect ‘magical’ results from that Daycare beginning from Day One. As touched upon earlier, there might not only be ‘one’, but rather, ‘several’ hiccups that might come your way, during your child’s stint in a Childcare Centre. For instance, they might be subject to severe mood swings at Daycare. That’s when you must talk to their childcare provider, with the view toward their taking steps to resolve the issue. That being said, if the issue still persists over time, it might be a sign that you need to change their Daycare.
One of the first things parents must do, is embark on a recce of that Childcare Centre, to see if it is ‘safe’ enough for their children to spend a good part of their day in. Needless to say, you need to look out for things like surveillance cameras and security at the Daycare gates. Still, some things might have slipped your mind. For instance, when you go to pick them up, you might notice that the outdoor play area is not ‘fenced’. Security issues like these are among the most common reasons for parents switching Daycare.
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