What Your Kid's Behaviour May Be Telling You About Child Care
As with other sectors, the customer, in this case, the kids, is always right in the provision of child care services. As a parent, you want to make sure that your child is receiving the kind of care that meets your child's immediate needs and nurtures their development in the long run.
With some feedback from your kid, often in not so many words, you may be able to gauge the quality of child care they are receiving, and whether or not it may be time to consider other options. Here is what you should be on the lookout for.
1. Behaviour At Drop Off And Pick Up
Most kids will throw a fit and cry out during drop off, but this is usually only for just those first few times. For others, every drop off is as dramatic, but if your child likes the child care facility, then you can rest assured that they will have calmed down by the time you make it out of the building.
At pick-up, if your child looks like they wouldn't mind staying back a little longer, you can rest assured that they have been getting good child care all day long and had a good day. Is your child excited to talk about their day or just happy to get in the car and fall asleep the whole way home?
2. Sudden Changes In Behaviour
For a child who is not old enough to verbalise their feelings, there are always signs that you can pick on that will tell you more about their state of mind and emotions. These signs can tell you better than anything else if your kid is thriving or stressing out at the child care facility.
If you notice your child has started wetting the bed or has become overly clingy and in need of constant reassurance of your presence, you may want to check on the child care they are receiving while away from you.
Trust Your Intuition
As pointed out, what you should look out for is mostly non-verbal. If your child can speak, then the better for you, as you can have an honest conversation to help you assess the kind of child care your child is receiving.
Looking at all the non-verbal cues, you know better than to not trust your gut feeling. Carefully watch your kids to pick up on even the most subtle of changes. For your peace of mind, you can always talk to the child care providers.
