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How To Work Around The Disadvantages of Child Care Centres

In your search for a good Child Care Centre for your child, you may have been put off by the number of articles describing the disadvantages of Child Care Centres. This is scary for parents all over the globe who depend on Child Care. In this article, we will discuss these disadvantages and the ways in which you could cope with and overcome the negative aspects of Child Care Centres.

This article, brought to you by Child Care Melbourne,Child Care Croydondescribes the different ways by which you can make Child Care work for you.

The University of Melbourne recently conducted a study that concluded that children who had been in Child Care from a very early age exhibited lesser academic competence and social interaction skills but a rise in problem behaviour. Children who had been in full time day care from the time they were babies, were found to persistently hold on to their views  while exhibiting aggressiveness and no interest in resolving conflicts. The study, interestingly, pointed to the protracted time spent in Day Care as the reason and not the type or quality of care received by the child.

The other more common grievances are the exorbitant cost of child care, lack of personalized attention, health and safety concerns, high ratio of child and caregiver in large groups,  underpaid child care providers leading to high attrition, etc.

But, take heart, these are issues that can be set right by accredited Child Care Centres.

Lately, the stress is on early childhood education and several accredited and licensed Child Care Centres include a curriculum matched to different age groups to provide an early learning experience along the lines of preschool. There is increasing evidence that children adapt to organized learning methods at an early age so a good Day Care Centre may turn out to be your baby’s first school!

In two income households, it is not easy for one parent to stay at home to take care of the child. There are numerous alternatives to full time work.

You could perhaps discuss with your boss and get him to agree to flexible working hours where you could go in earlier or remain later at work . This will free up time for you to rotate child care between you and your spouse reducing the time spent at the Child Care Centre. You could also opt to share jobs with others who have similar problems where you get paid half the salary and benefits for sharing half the work. This can free up a lot of time without losing your entire source of income.

Part time and work from home jobs are also possible options. These may not pay much but will give you more than enough time to take care of your child.

Those of you who are expecting a baby soon can consider trying to live within one income and put aside the second income completely. This should familiarize you with making do with just one income and the savings will be helpful once the baby is born.

There are also tax rebates and benefits offered by the government for parents who have children in child care which could bring down the cost burden.

Prior to finalizing the Day Care Centre, make several visits to observe how the Centre is being run, enquire about job satisfaction amongst the staff,  inspect the toilets and nappy changing areas for hygiene, discuss with other parents and talk to the children, gauge the communication skills of the caregivers by talking to them, etc.

All licensed Day Care Centres come under the purview of the government and adhere strictly to rules and regulations especially with regard to qualifications of staff, space requirements, hygiene, and handling of emergencies.

With a little effort, you can easily balance work and the time you spend with your child. By choosing a licensed Day Care Centre and working closely with the child care providers, you can overcome all the hurdles of Child Care. It is only the really fortunate few who can afford to give up their jobs and stay at home as soon as a baby comes along. And although it is an undisputed fact that the kind of individualized attention and care given by a parent at home can never be duplicated in a Child Care Centre, it can be the next best thing for your child if selected with care.