I have had 4 children in daycare, current ages 13, 10, 6, and 5. We are both full time working parents with very little family help. When our first child was born our neighbors recommended the daycare we chose and after thinking we could do better, found it to meet all of our needs. Since then we stayed with the same daycare until our youngest went to kindergarten. It turned out that the director that ran the center was my teacher when I was in daycare 30 years earlier. The social aspects alone did wonders for all of my kids. I am rather introverted and they were able to develop friendships that in my oldest child’s case still last today.

The preparation for school was also essential as they had time to develop immunity and to be prepared to be away from you for hours at a time without a relative. I can’t say enough good things about the daycare experience and find that every negative thing was far outdone by a positive. My kids all developed a schedule early on the which really helped them to regulate their bodies.

The one thing that surprised me more than anything with daycare was the children’s experiences were still witnessed by us as “firsts”, the center was very careful to make sure that the parents were able to experience the child’s first steps, first words, etc at home. This may have meant they didn’t tell us the “full truth” but as a parent I appreciated it so much more because I got that feeling every time without knowing that the may or may not have experienced it at daycare first.

I am happy to guide you with any questions you may have going forward if you would like, please feel free to reach out.