A mini daycare offers nursery from 8 up to 22 children. If your child is familiar with a daycare, it will likely experience much better the transition to the pre-school, already used to be away from home for a long period of the day. This is an important phase in the "becoming older" process.
A good daycare is in the first place about safety, so that you can leave your child behind without worries. Your child gets care and security at the daycare. The daycare stimulates the development of your child. Children go on exploration, experiment and move their borders. Also for the older children, the daycare is seen as a creative environment where they can find out with what and with who they want to play. A good daycare also actively involves the parents. Their remarks and questions are taken into account. Therefore a good relation with the daycare staff is important.
Your degree of satisfaction about daycare is quite personal. What for one parent seems perfect, does not always meet the expectation of the other parent. Therefore think well about your daycare choice, requirements and expectations and chose the one which fits you the best. Make also clear agreements with the daycare and the approach of your child in order to avoid misunderstandings.
In general, your child is the ideal barometer to verify if things are going well at the daycare. Does your child feels comfortable at the daycare? Does it enjoy the activities? Does your child behaves less or more active then at home? How can you be certain that your child is happy at the daycare? Then pick up your child once a little earlier to look how it feels in its daycare environment. Talk about it with the daycare staff. we are there to support you.
Try to provide the daycare staff as much as possible information about your child upfront: habits during sleeping or eating, allergies, medication, etc. Try to bring your child once before the actual daycare period starts. A good start is an investment in a pleasant time at the daycare. Each daycare has its own ideas to make it your child as comfortable as possible. Leaving behind your child behind is not easy. Say goodbye in a clear way so that your child does not get confused if it realizes that you are suddenly no longer around and would lose its self-confidence. Say goodbye with affection, but keep it short. A long goodbye process would make it needlessly difficult for the daycare staff, yourself and your child. Parents are the most important partners for the daycare. An open conversation encourages trust and faith. Therefore, raise your questions, remarks or doubts. But also take the questions and remarks of the daycare into account. The daycare has a tie with your child and shares important responsabilities.
DE KUIKENTJES