Education for a Lifetime

Since most families have two working parents, it's often necessary to make child care arrangements while children are young. When it comes to child care, parents can opt for a nanny, an in-home child care facility, or a dedicated child care center. Many parents choose to enroll their infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged kids in a licensed child care center because they boast several advantages over other types of child care options. Some of the top benefits of enrolling your child in a licensed child care center include:

1. Open Year-Round

One of the biggest downsides of hiring a nanny or taking a child to an in-home child care facility is the fact that you're relying on one person to fulfill your family's child care needs. Thus, when your nanny or in-home child care provider is ill or goes on vacation, you will need to scramble to find alternative child care. With a licensed child care center, you will never need to worry about finding back up child care. A licensed child care center will always have child care providers available, so you will know that you have someone to care for your child every day.

2. More Socialization

Young children are like little sponges, and they learn things quickly. One of the most important skills that young children need to learn is how to interact with other children. When your child is enrolled in a licensed child care center, they will have the opportunity to interact with their peers and learn important things, such as sharing, playing nicely with others, and communicating with others. Thus, kids who attend a child care center from a young age are usually well prepared socially when they start kindergarten.

3. School Readiness

In most licensed child care centers, children are divided by age level. Older toddlers and preschool-age children will often learn a lot of important skills that will help them when they start school. Some things that may be included in the curriculum is learning colors, shapes, numbers, letters, as well as how to use pencils, crayons, and scissors. Learning these things at a young age can help ensure that children are ready to enter kindergarten and won't struggle to learn the basics. This is a big benefit for most parents since they don't want their children to struggle or fall behind when they start formal schooling.

These are just a few options for enrolling your child in local child care centers. Contact and compare your local options to learn more.