For working moms, the thought of sending our babies to daycare while we go to work can be quite anxiety-inducing. We might be asking ourselves which daycare is the right choice, whether it’s worth the cost, if we can trust our littles in the care of someone else, or if we are even doing the right thing by returning to work.
I know, it’s hard. After 5 months of maternity leave, I returned to work full time while my son remained at home in the alternating care of my mom and husband for another 7 months. I didn’t mind that arrangement too much. But when everyone’s leave was finally exhausted and the time came to send him off to daycare at 1 year old, I was an emotional wreck. All the months I had spent researching and preparing myself mentally went out the door and I was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and doubt. As much as I loved my job and my coworkers, how could I leave my tiny boy in the care of strangers? Needless to say, I had a hard time focusing on anything at work in the first few weeks of starting daycare.
If you’re feeling like this, you’re not alone. It might be a difficult adjustment, but here’s some positive news – there are lots of good things about sending our babies to high-quality daycare. Learning about all the ways my son could benefit helped me deal with some of my anxiety, and while it didn’t make it painless, that made the transition a little bit easier.
What Makes A Daycare “High-Quality?”
While there are definitely benefits of sending your baby to daycare, you should know that not all childcare options are created equal.
What makes a daycare high-quality? Generally, childcare is considered high-quality when:
- Children are exposed to healthy, positive interactions with teachers who are warm, engaging, and responsive to their needs.
- Children have access to a learning space in which they can explore their physical environment in a developmentally appropriate and safe way (appropriate toys, pretend play sets, puzzles etc), as well as the opportunity for safe outdoor play time and interacting with nature.
- There is good administrative and program support (good leadership, adequate funding, trained teachers, turnover rate, low staff to child ratio etc).
Why is quality important? Evidence shows that the experiences that your baby has in their first few years of life sets the foundation for the rest of their lives. They are highly sensitive to what is happening around them in these early years and do better when they have positive, healthy interactions with their parents and other caregivers. This is why choosing a high- quality daycare is so important – you want to give your baby the best support they can get because it matters in the long run. High-quality child care in the early years improves both physical and cognitive outcomes later in life, and is also associated with success in math and STEM subjects later on in high school.
Doing your research and trying to get a feel for a daycare’s staff and child interactions, physical play spaces, and administrative support is an essential part of choosing the right daycare for your baby. For more in-depth information on what questions to ask when deciding on a daycare, check out childcareaware.org and childcare.gov.
It’s also important to note that high-quality childcare doesn’t always equate to a daycare center. Many home daycares can be considered high-quality as well – it all depends on the people who work there and their plan for the little humans they will be entrusted with.
Benefits Of Sending Your Baby To A High-Quality Daycare
If you’ve found yourself a good quality daycare that checks all (or most) of the boxes, that’s great! Your baby will benefit socially, intellectually, and emotionally from enrollment in a high-quality setting.
Social development
The ability to build and maintain relationships is one of the most important skills for babies and, really, for human beings in general. Working with others toward a common goal, communicating effectively, sharing, making friends, and learning through observation of others in social situations helps our babies develop valuable social and emotional skills that can persist into adulthood. Personally, I think this is where I have seen the most growth in my son’s development and a big part of why I think daycare has been so beneficial for him.
Building immunity
The first infection my son got when he started daycare was none other than COVID. Oof. When I tell you, it was rough. And for the better part of a year, it was hard times in the household while we were dealing with constant sickness. But as he continued attending daycare and interacting with his classmates, his tolerance (and mine) to getting sick got increasingly better. He bounced back quicker and his symptoms were less severe as his immune system grew more efficient at recognizing and fighting off infections. Building immunity from exposure to pathogens isn’t an easy process, but it helps make our babies more resilient to the inevitable germs they will be exposed to in the world. Exposure to germs isn’t specific to high-quality daycares – your baby will get a fair dose of them at any daycare – but they are more likely to have attentive teachers who will respond to their needs and keep them comfortable as they go through the immunity-building process.
Early learning and preparing for school
High-quality daycares are more likely to have qualified teachers and solid teaching programs that facilitate early learning. That means our babies will have the opportunity to get familiar with the basics – shapes, colors, numbers, and letters – before they even get to kindergarten where most of that learning officially begins.
Milestone tracking
Licensed daycare teachers at high-quality daycares have a good sense of where babies should be as far as their developmental milestones, and they can communicate that to you if they feel like your baby is a little off track. First time moms in particular may not be as familiar with developmental milestones and ranges of what’s considered normal, so it’s helpful to have a professional keeping an eye on their progress.
Developing independence
The ultimate goal of most moms is to raise kind, good kids who are independent. I love my son infinitely, but I want him to grow as his own person. High-quality daycares offer the space for this to happen with teachers who understand its importance. Without mom there to rush in to help at the slightest struggle, our babies can develop that independence and learn how to navigate through challenges themselves in a safe environment.
Consistency and routine
High-quality daycares are likely to have an established routine or schedule for their kids, including play time, outside time, reading time, diaper changes or potty time etc. Consistency is important for children because it helps make the day predictable, and studies show that they actually do better overall when there is a daily routine in place.
Peace of mind
Sending your baby to high-quality daycare allows you, mom, to have some peace of mind knowing that your baby is well-taken care of. There are days when I’ve taken time off from work and still sent my baby to daycare, and I do not feel one ounce of guilt for this. My son is fed, changed regularly, participating in crafts and games, socializing, and generally living his best life at daycare. And, when it comes to our kids, that peace of mind is priceless.
Now that my son has been at his daycare for just over a year now, I can say that it has definitely had a positive impact on his development. He loves his teachers, has fun at school (I know because they send me pictures regularly), and he has learned so much. If you are about to go back to work after maternity leave and are sending your baby to daycare for the first time, or even if your little one is already enrolled and you just need some support, I hope this brings you some comfort.
