In today’s time, where everyone has grown extremely professional, leaving an established job to be a stay-at-home parent is no longer an option for people. The daycare centers have henceforth blossomed with the thought of relieving parents of the worry related to the well-being of their child and give them some peace of mind. The daycare centers are a good option for those working parents with kids, who live in nuclear families. Since the parents have no other family member to look after their kids, sending them to these day centers seems to be the only way out. However, these daycare centers have their own pros and cons attached to them, which cannot be ignored completely. Moreover, it is a difficult decision for the parent to send them at these centers too. Read this article to discover the advantages and disadvantages of daycare centers and make an intelligent decision.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Daycare Centers
Advantages
- A daycare center today provides trained staff, with a qualification in childcare or first aid. This assures parents that good care of their child will be taken, fostering his/her growth and development.
- The child is not left alone and hence, there is no fear of an abuse or neglect of your child, as they are under the supervision of many adults.
- Since daycare centers are licensed and regulated, they are more stable and reliable than their counterparts, like nannies kept at home.
- Toddlers and kids get to interact with other kids of the same or other age groups. When they are at home, they linger on their parents shoulders and refuse to socialize.
- These centers provide a structured learning environment for kids, as per their age and help them grow in a better way
- Daycare centers are much more cost efficient and secure as compared to keeping a nanny at home.
- These centers have a low child to teacher ratio, like 4: 1 (maximum) and provide the much-needed attention to a child.
Disadvantages
- Any infection or illness in daycare centers spread like fire, as kids and toddlers are less immune to diseases.
- Since children are less likely to get one-to-one care, some of them might not do well in the environment and feel lonely and isolated.
- Daycare teachers are sometimes underpaid and they might quit in-between, leaving the toddler attached and isolated.
- It is quite natural for the parents to miss quality time and joyous moments with their child, which cannot be regained later on. Moreover, they miss the ‘firsts’ that their child goes through.
- Kids tend to imitate what others do and hence they might be exposed to poor behavior, as drawn from other kids.
- You'll have limited ability to change the center's routines or rules as per your child, which can be there if you are at home.
- You can never see the kids working on their big accomplishments and even the little things that matter to them. These are usually ignored in daycare centers.