If you are looking into child care options for your child, you might be debating between sending your son or daughter to a small, at-home daycare or a larger child care center. Both can certainly have their pros and cons, and you'll want to look at the options in your area before you make your decision. However, you should know that many people find that larger child care centers are a better choice. These are a few reasons why.
1. More Kids in the Same Age Group
In general, larger child care centers are going to have more children, and they will often create separate groups or "classes" according to age. This will allow your child to have the chance to play with children who are close to them in age. It will also give them more children to socialize with, which can help them develop social skills and can help improve the chances of them meeting other children who they hit it off with.
2. Better Technology
Since larger child care centers usually have bigger budgets, many of them have better technology to offer. For example, a lot of child care centers now have surveillance cameras that you can check in on from your work computer, smartphone, or tablet. Larger child care centers might also have computers or tablets for children to play with, which can help them develop technology skills.
3. Back-Up Plans
Since in-home daycares often only have one or two people working in them, there can be a problem if one of the caregivers gets sick or goes out of town. Many child care centers have multiple employees, however, meaning that there is a back-up plan in place in case someone can't make it to work. This can help prevent you from scrambling to find last-minute child care.
4. More School-Like Environment
One great thing about child care is the fact that it can help prepare your child for school. In an at-home daycare setting, the environment is often more like the one that your child experiences every day at home. Many child care centers have more structure and routine, and a lot of them have a specific curriculum they cover. This can help better prepare your child for school.
As you can see, even though you might be thinking about using an in-home daycare center, you might want to consider looking into bigger child care centers first. Then, if you find a good child care center, you can take advantage of these four benefits and more.
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