When I started writing this Blog, I started thinking about the day when I left my first child at the Daycare. After trying out 5-6 daycares, I settled for this one… hey there is something called “Mom knows best”.
I remember sitting in the car at the Traffic light and bawling my heart out and questioning every decision I made… was she going to be okay? Will she be hungry? What if she falls and nobody to pick up? Is mywork so important? Can we not manage the expenses and I stay with her and care for.. Isn’t that what moms are supposed to do? Do I need a 4 BR home when I am using only one? Perhaps, we can downsize… Is my career bigger than the well being of my child? let’s admit..regardless of whether we are paid for work or unpaid (read Stay at home parent), we all have had this at one point and we still do…
Over the next few days, it got better, my child (14 months old) started liking the day care, she had a routine, she was learning things which we were not able to teach and at times aware if there were things which she enjoyed or rather we didn’t know how to introduce those activities.
Fortunately, for me I had an option to send my kid to Grandparents while my husband and I could focus on our careers, or hire a neighborhood lady who was ready to watch my daughter, or hire a teenager to watch my kid while I am working or hire a live in nanny (although this meant I had to sell one of my kidneys) … But we chose to send her to Daycare, and I am glad we did… Daycare has become a place where she grew, and we grew as parents.
The staff at the Daycare taught me the right way to use onezie (do you know how to remove onezie when the child has accident without smudging the child’s face…well I didn’t), they reminded me of the vaccines, milestones, books to read to her and over all the kind of support even sometimes an extended family could not provide….simplybecause they are not experts in this area
After going through many Daycares for my daughter these were the few things we started prioritizing while looking for a daycare for my second child
- Student to Teacher’s ratio
- If my child’s sensory needs are met
- If the place is well lit and Hygienic
- Do they know about the milestones and willing to flag them to parents
- Is my child Happy to go to Daycare?
- Is there a transparency in case of incident happens at day care (my child was bitten by another child who was teething)
- Is the Daycare openon the days when I am working?
- Is this affordable
So, as a parent I would urge for you all to look at these features before settling for a Daycare, well this is a place you are leaving the most precious belonging (as cliché as it might sound) …. if you are lucky enough to find one like I did.. don’t think twice!
Happy Parenting!
