Daycares are often used by parents who work outside the home and require child care before and after school, or during a parent’s lunch break.
Daycare centers can be a major choice when it comes to Child Care – a big decision because a daycare center becomes a second home for your child and you want to be sure that the center is one where every child feels welcome and learns in a positive environment. Every choice we make as responsible parents will have an influence on our children’s lives – from what we feed them, to what they learn in school so it makes sense to take care when choosing a daycare center and to take the time to observe and ask questions.
Offer developmental activities
Daycare centers can be a little different from each other; however, they all offer developmental activities that help children learn through play – with age-appropriate toys, books, and music. Learning is not limited to what goes on inside the center as most daycare centers encourage learning experiences outside as well. Children learn through play and making choices – climbing, hiding in a treehouse, digging in the sand at the beach, or even sitting on the floor with blocks helps children to develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually.
Typical daycare hours
Children usually stay in a daycare center five days a week from around 6 am to 6 pm or later. When children are very young, parents often drop them off in the morning and pick them up at night; however, as they get older they tend to stay longer during the day until they finally go home after school is finished – usually around 5 pm.
Types of programs
A typical center offers a planned program for each age group. As the children grow, the activities change and expand to include more information and learning experiences. The three main types of programs offered in daycare centers are: – Infant/Toddler Programs (from birth to 2-years old) – Preschool Programs (2-5 years old) – Afterschool Programs (usually around 3 years old)
Daycare Center Activities
The activities offered are always changing. For example, an infant may spend time playing on the floor with age-appropriate toys or crawling through tunnels; a toddler might do an activity like finger painting while learning letters or numbers; and preschoolers might have activities that focus on learning about shapes, colors, writing their name or playing with puzzles.
There are three main types of basic structures that daycare centers follow:
Family child care
Family child care is the most common arrangement where the provider – a parent – takes care of children in her own home and families may choose this type of daycare to be near home or work.
Center-based and home-based
The other two types of programs are center or group daycare and this type is usually found in a group daycare center. The home-based type of care is often referred to as family child or nanny care. In this type, one caregiver cares for the children in her own home, and families may choose this type of daycare to be near home or work.