Choosing child care is an important decision – you want the environment to be safe, the caretakers to be loving, and the activity to be stimulating. You want your child to feel comfortable there, like it’s a home away from home. With more people than ever in the work force (fewer than one third of children have a stay at home parent), child care has become a necessity and the number of high quality child care centers have increased. About 23% percent of children are in these centers (including day care centers, nurseries, and preschools) and percentage accounts for the almost 7 billion kids who receive regular care from a non-relative. Almost 5 billion attend a formally recognized day care or preschool.
Enrolling your child in a preschool program has many benefits. For low-income and at risk children, preschool makes a world of difference – 70% of those arrested for committing a violent crime had not received a quality preschool education. Preschool and day care centers also provide important mental stimulation. Trusted child care professionals can help to grow your child’s mind. After all, the most important developmental period in a child’s life is from birth to three years old. Preschool attendance also greatly increases the chance that an at risk child will go on to attend college. Attending preschool even ups the likelihood that an at risk child will graduate high school.
Preschools offer more than just mental stimulation – they can also provide life skills that will help keep children safe for years to come. Take preschool swim lessons, for example. Drowning is a huge concern for many parents, and rightly so. It is, after all, the second leading cause of accidental injury related death for children up until they turn fourteen. Preschool swim lessons can help to prevent such a tragedy from occurring. More than just mitigating danger and teaching children skills that they will use for the rest of their lives, preschool swim lessons could potentially instill a life long love of swimming in your child. Swimming lessons are widely popular and swimming is the fourth most popular athletic activity in the United States.
A good preschool program can be incredibly important to your child’s development and later success in life. A top notch day care can help to keep your child safe while growing their mind and helping them to explore and navigate the world. From preschool swim lessons to sensory play, you should feel comfortable and happy knowing that your child is in good hands.