With other children also present at the daycare, from babies to toddlers to pre-primary or even primary school children (that come in after attending school), your child at daycare learns to live in a social environment and learns new skills such as communication, interactivity play and team games besides values such as sharing, table manners, importance of obeying rules and being in a structured environment. So, when your child is ready to go to school, he or she has some sort of foundational base already about performing in a structured environment thanks to daycare training! It’s much like thinking of daycare as your child’s first school and outside community living experience that helps him or her learn to interact with other kids – like a unique and playful learning environment.

Children make friends, learn to follow rules, play turn by turn, learn good habits such as nap-time and putting away toys after finishing with them; a good childcare facility will have trained personnel and teachers to involve children in a variety of fun activities such as painting, puppetry, motor-skills expansion games and clay or sand-play besides music, dance and reading classes so not only does the child imbibe a whole new world of play-way method learning but attending a daycare also reduces the chances of separation anxiety for them when they finally have to go to school.

Thus, daycare essentially makes it easier for both the child and the parents to adapt to school life better and faster, as basic number, alphabet and speech concepts have already been picked up by most kids attending daycare regularly besides important socialization skills.

Most daycare centers also encourage a classroom-styled environment for older kids about to enter proper school so they are not intimidated by the first experience at the school and thus it is sort of a preparatory step towards formal schooling – albeit in a fun environment.

Daycare facilities also have teachers on the payroll, many of whom supervise timely homework schedules being adhered to by older, school-going kids and also guide them on various subjects, so parent’s burdens are lessened.

Thus, with a bunch of benefits – from meals, nap, games, studies and safety taken care of by quality daycare centers, parents have a great deal going for them if they pick the right one for their child; but, of course, they still need to play the Mommy-Daddy once the child gets home, right from the hug, to the ‘how did your day go’ and ‘glad to have you back,’ routine – it works to keep the children feel loved and cherished.

1. You can initiate the child into staying away from you in preparation of the daycare program to come by placing the kid with a family member or known babysitter (such as a local high-school kid or neighbor) and have them understand you and your spouse need to be away from them for some time, to work. Do keep the sensitivities of a child’s needs for a loving, gentle yet firm presence in mind when choosing the child-minder as the first impression will influence how the child adapts to a more structured environment as daycare later. Ask other new parents placing children with babysitters for recommendations – stay away from those with too many bad reports.
2. Consult with your child specialist or the yellow pages or even the Dept. of Social Services to get a list of licensed daycare providers in your area if other parents are unable to guide you about this; having decided the childcare services provider, do make it a point to go visit the place with your child to check out the facilities.
3. Take your child around for a tour of the facilities at the daycare and as most service providers are only too happy to allow new enrollments (or even potential ones) to play around freely in order to take to the novel atmosphere, encourage your child to play there and interact with other children and staff at the daycare.
4. Meet all the people who will be interacting with your child on a regular basis and even though your kid may feel homesick initially, allow for more time and a bit of loving talk on your behalf on how much smarter they can be when they learn all by themselves! Focus on the positives and try to rule out as many negatives (safety, hygiene, compliance issues and background checks of the daycare employees) to know your child is at the right daycare!
5. For the first few days, you may ask for permission with the authorities at the daycare if your child may carry along a favorite toy or blanket for seeking comfort in a new environment; most places will agree – and this will make the change from home to daycare a much easier, fun-filled and smooth one for both kiddy and Mommy (or Daddy)!