Lily James
It’s a large decision for any parent to make when it comes to placing their child in day care. It’s a period of mixed emotions—thrill at the experience for your child, anxiety whether it is the correct decision or not. As an Australian, there’s no choice but to look at all the different services, and dizzying to attempt to make sense of them all. There are wonderful resource materials available, such as Starting Blocks, to guide you in making a choice.
Benefits to Your Child of Daycare
Day care has numerous benefits that extend far beyond child care. For most families, it is the initial structured environment in which children are exposed to other children and learn essential life skills.
Perhaps the greatest advantage is socialisation. Day care introduces the child to a set of children their age, with whom they bond and learn about social skills such as communication, sharing, and empathy. Such bonds are the foundation of emotional intelligence, something that will prove to be very important as they grow up.
Day care also plays a role in early education. Play-based learning programs for most childcare centres in Australia are based on the Early Years Learning Framework. The programs enable the cognitive, emotional, and creative development of children to enable them to fit well into primary school.
Lastly, day care promotes routine and structure, which is essential to a child’s sense of security. Established routines for activities like meals, naps, and play create a predictable world, anchoring children and instilling healthy habits.
Starting Blocks: A Trusted Resource for Parents
For Australian parents in need of a trustworthy partner in searching for day care, there is the Starting Blocks treasure house. It’s an ACECQA program with users provided detailed information on early childhood education and care services, such as littlelearnersdaycare.com.au.
Starting Blocks simplifies searching for and looking up childcare centres with the inclusion of National Quality Standard (NQS) ratings. The ratings help make parents’ decisions regarding the quality of a childcare centre simpler based on such critical factors as educational programs, health and safety, and child-to-staff ratio. With such provisions, you can compare and select one that best fits your family’s needs with confidence.
Apart from this, Starting Blocks also offers useful tips on how to prepare for day care—checklists to pack, tips on coping with separation anxiety, and even study guides on government childcare subsidies that can significantly lower the cost of day care.
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Other Resources to Search for Day Care in Australia
While Starting Blocks is a great resource, there are some other great resources parents can use. Websites such as CareforKids.com.au allow you to look for childcare providers in your area, read reviews from other parents, and compare fees. These websites generally have reviews from other parents that will provide you with an even better understanding of a provider’s weak and strong points.
Off-site as well as off-line local networking is another valuable resource. Local city- or suburb-based Facebook groups are becoming groups to recommend as well as post objective comments. These sites are typically used by parents to find lesser-known day care centres that do not fit into larger search databases.
Lastly, but not least, don’t forget your state or territory education department website. Far too often, local government offers directories of accredited centres, advice on how to prepare your child for day care, and notification of policy changes impacting you.
Empower Your Day Care Decision
Selecting a day care is among the largest choices you’ll have as a parent in the beginning—and that you’d prefer to do so cautiously and mindfully, it’s completely understandable. Being aware of the advantages of day care and having resources such as Starting Blocks and other tools available, you are able to make an educated decision about your child and your family values.
If you’re still feeling uncertain or have questions, consider exploring Starting Blocks today to take the first step toward finding the perfect care environment for your child.
