Are daycare centres hygenic? Do they really help children learn something at all?

Question

My daughter is 16 month old. I am a homemaker. I want to help my girl learn something. Any suggestion abt learning centres? Or anything where she can spend time for value addition. I dread daycare centres I donno if that wud help her!

Answer 1

Not all daycare centers are created equal. If you go with a tried and true method of teaching such as Montessori school or the Waldorf method your child will be sure to be taught. All of my children attended Montessori (you can find these listed in yellow pages under schools), and although they were slightly more expensive then regular day care they were well worth it. My children learned independance and how to play by themselves. Which means they were not children that were always asking what they could do because they were bored. Their imaginations were used, they learned independence but were also taught how to socialize with other children. They were taught letters, reading, math, french and music all at their age level so that they were able to comprehend and thus work interactively through learning and playing. Montessori had many activities that made learning interesting and fun.
When my children finally went into a regular school system the teachers just loved them because they were so far advanced with socialization skills and organization. My daughters are both academics and my son is applying for pre med. I attribute a lot of what they have achieved from these formative years when they began to learn and understand.
I hope this helps and look at it as a sound investment in your childs future. Even half day programs are nice as they give each of you a small break from each other, and you child will have the fun of being with other children in a quiet and safe atmosphere.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I have also been contemplating a daycare for my 2 yr old son so that he can interact with other children. I have stayed home with him since he was born, and I have no regrets. If you want your baby to learn, you are the best teacher because you know how to read her. I have spent time with my son teaching him colors by coloring with him, shapes can be learned by coloring also. Go out and explore the world with her, show her different things like the green grass, brown tall trees, etc.
I do have to have time for chores as I'm sure you do, and I usually either let him help me put clothes on a hanger, or if I'm washing dishes, i pop in a Little Einstein or Baby Einstein and let me tell you they are LIFE SAVERS! LOL, I know kids aren't supposed to watch t.v, but these really do help them to learn!
Basically you have to just keep talking to her. Count the cars on the street, tell her that dog is white, keep her mind busy. Playgroups are great, and a couple hours a week of interaction with kids her age is plenty. I do plan on finding a good pre-school though, once he turns 3 just to get him prepared for long days of Kindergarten without Momma around. That in my opinion would benefit him the most, not being away from the one person who really cares about what he's learning and knows his needs better than anyone else.

Answer 3

Daycare centers are supposed to be hygenic. Obviously with a building full of kids, germs will be spread no matter how clean the place is.

My daughter started daycare last April when she was when she was about 18 months old. She has really learned a lot. She knows most of her ABC's (she's 2 now) how to count and spell her name. It is also good, in my opinion, for them to be around other children.

I would check out a few different questions. Ask about their licenses, their policies, what kind of experience their instructors have, the schedules for the children, etc.

Good luck.

Answer 4

you can do somethings at home to help her. my mother keeps my daughter and she goes over the alphabet, her number and colors all the time. my daughter and sister kids are very advanced for there age. i suggest simple things from picking up objects and telling the color of them and then trying to get them to pick the right color. there are also great DVDs out there like the Baby Einstein series that is special for different age groups, barney is really good and so are the wiggles. i would suggest daycare maybe once or twice a week when your child gets older, new three-four, for more social interaction with kids her own age to get her ready for school. if you dont have to put her in daycare everyday dont. you, yourself can provide her with more one on one learning than she could learn at daycare. kids also tend to get more sick if they go to daycare, because of all the germs that get passed around.

Answer 5

Daycare centers are good places for children to explore and develop social skills! Check out some near your home and make an appointment to visit. If you feel that they are not clean enough or do not provide the care you are looking for, then don't place her in one. At 16 months, you can send her for only an hour or two, one or two times per week, and that would be sufficient. But, you don't have to if you don't want to! Daycare centers aren't for everyone. If you want her to learn social skills, maybe look for playgroups.

Answer 6

My best advice to you is to start calling places, visiting them and asking lots of questions. See how clean they keep the place and the toys, notice how they interact with the kids, etc.

My boys have been in a few different daycares since they were babies, and although I sometimes feel guilty that they are there, I can see how they have benefited socially and mentally. They learn how to play with other children, they have teachers constantly interacting with them (story time, crafts, abc's and numbers, colors, etc). The children are constantly engaged.

good luck!

Answer 7

if you are a homemaker, please dont send her to daycare. i have worked in 4 different daycares in my life and i would only send my child to one of them. most daycares look good on the outside, but there is know way to really know whats going on on the inside. not to condemn all child care centers, i'm sure some are good.

other options:
take your child to playgroups. you can get supplies and teach her yourself if you are worried about her learning. play is very important at this age, she is learning. get toddler puzzles, large blocks that are different colors, child safe paints, touch is very important at this young age, read to her everyday, sing, do finger plays (itsy bitsy spider, ect.), she will learn all she needs from you if you so choose.

Answer 8

You can teach her! You can give her one on one attention.

If you want her to interact with other children her age there are lots of playgroups and other fun activities for that.

But her early education is much better off in your hands.