In case you didn’t know…
The majority of children under 5 attend a childcare service.
That’s true!
After their family, it is the surrounding environment that has the most influence on their learning and development, especially if the childcare environment is of high quality.
Still not convinced?
… keep reading till the end!
Here is how quality educational childcare contributes to the development of toddlers.
The Effect of Quality Child Care on Learning
Before 5 years of age, children’s brains develop rapidly.
Thus, toddlers are very receptive to stimulation, that is to say to the different experiences they have every day.
For example, they start playing, being rocked, talking with their parents, going for a walk in the park, etc…
That’s being said..
The moments spent in an educational childcare service add to the stimulation offered by the family.
Which leads to a positive impact on the learning and development of your toddler..
Keep in mind, though,
Experts have not determined the ideal age to begin attending educational child care.
However, it seems that there is no problem for a child to start early (eg: around 1 year), if the environment is of good quality.
If you want to know more about the Basic Stages of Development, click here
How to Recognize a Quality Childcare Service?
An educational childcare service should allow children to develop their various skills, to have positive relationships with others (children and adults), and to stimulate their taste for learning.
To achieve this, the experts recommend in particular that educators be trained in early childhood..
.. this allows them to participate in development activities as well as know and apply the educational program proposed by the Ministry of the Family.
Most importantly,
The quality of the experiences a child has in his daycare also has a great influence on his development.
Thus, in a quality environment, the educators are sensitive and attentive to the needs of the children.
They offer stimulating activities and they have clear rules and expectations that toddlers understand well.
Besides, they keep ongoing communication with the kids’ parents to ensure that everything is going well..
In addition, in quality childcare services:
- The premises are safe and clean
- The schedule is adapted to the rhythm of the children
- The food is of good quality
- The materials used to teach the kids are different and adapted to their age
- There is enough room for the children to move around inside and outside
An Asset for Developing Language and Knowledge
In a quality educational childcare service, toddlers have many opportunities to develop their language and knowledge in a professional way..
And another thing…
When educators use rich vocabulary, correct words, and add words to children’s sentences, they help them develop their language.
Activities like storytelling, songs, and nursery rhymes also help to enrich the language of toddlers.
Even when the children are not yet speaking..
.. the educators can comment on their games and thus gradually develop their language and their knowledge.
For example, if a child is playing with blocks, his educator can say: “You take the blue block.
Little by little, she teaches him words, but also colors.
Above all…
When educators use books to ask questions of children and ask them to imagine the rest of the story, they help them develop their thinking and creativity.
Positive effects on socialization
Attending a quality educational childcare service also helps toddlers develop their social skills.
This indeed offers the opportunity to interact with other children within a group.
Daycare centers are therefore places that allow children to learn to live in a group.
In a quality childcare setting, educators help children, for example, to bond with others (e.g. say hello, do bye-bye), play together, share and settle small bickering.
Another thing to consider…
In educational daycare services, toddlers also learn to follow instructions and rules that promote group harmony, in addition to participating in various routines.
It Gives Them a Sense of Security…
In addition, this stability can have positive effects on their behavior.
Children tend to react and behave well when they have clear, consistent, and specific expectations.
Needless to say..
..the quality of the relationship between the educator and the parent can also help prevent and quickly identify behavioral problems and put in place support and supervision measures.
For example, when the educator communicates the observations well to the parents about their child, they can see together how to intervene at home as in the childcare environment to improve that behavior.
Benefits for Motor Development
The educators do physical activities with the kids so that the children move and exercise during the day.
And that’s good because toddlers who move around regularly in their daycare discover their bodies and gain confidence in their abilities.
For example, when children do chase games, obstacle courses, ball games, or when they are having fun on a scooter or a tricycle, they are exercising their balance, coordination, and endurance.
They also strengthen their muscles, expend energy and release small tensions.
What about fine motor skills?
Several activities offered to toddlers in educational childcare services promote their fine motor skills.
This is the case with puzzles, drawings, and crafts…
Routines are also opportunities to exercise children’s fine motor skills, for example, when they wash their hands, put up their mattresses for naps, or tie up their coats.
It’s the same with games…
When toddlers have fun picking up rocks or making tracks in the sand with their fingers, they are developing fine motor skills.
All this gradually prepares them to hold a pencil, which will help them later for school.
To remember
Without any doubt..
.. attending a quality childcare environment has positive effects on children’s learning and development.
Above all…
The presence of teachers who are trained and attentive to the needs of the children is one of the characteristics of a quality childcare service.
It boils down to this:
Toddlers who attend a quality educational daycare have many opportunities to learn and develop, among other things, in terms of language, social skills, and motor skills.
About
Dema JS is the founder of newbabysmell.com and a mother of two little kids.
Dema had her MBA from St. John’s University- NYC in dual concentrations: Executive Management and Marketing Management.
Contact: Email dema@newbabysmell.com
