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Although the word to mothers whose children are in daycare has been a tad on the negative side, there are solid benefits to be gained for the children who attend daycare. Daycare is a highly personal choice that many parents struggle with, and typically will feel significant guilt over as well. There is a certain social aspect to the daycare setting, and a child may gain benefits which allow them to deal more calmly with new situations, make friends easier and have less anxiety and more independence as well.

Building Relationships

One of the most important benefits children can receive from attending daycare is learning how to make friends. Children in daycare also gain a well-needed tolerance for other children, thus the human race as a whole. It is important that children learn how to get along with one another and play with one another as they will be interacting in one way or another with other children for their entire school career, not to mention their life in general. Most especially for children who have no siblings, or have had limited interactions with other children up to this point, daycare can offer real social skill-building. Making friends leads to other behaviors that every well-adjusted child needs to learn.

For instance, children must learn to share in order to be considered socially accepted later in life. If you have ever watched a group of children in daycare you will fully understand that learning to share is a huge part of the daycare experience. Children learn the give and take skills that will carry them through life through these important interactions. They also learn to have a certain amount of empathy for others through the entire process-when Sue takes the doll from Kim, the daycare teacher can point out that Kim is crying because she really wanted the doll that Sue took from her, and ask Sue how she would feel. Although the example is simplistic, the relationship skills learned are not.

Reducing Anxiety

Most toddlers develop separation anxiety around their first birthday, and this continues in varying degrees for several years. A child who attends daycare will likely have a significantly reduced level of anxiety when kindergarten comes along, as he will already have dealt with the separation from his parents. Children in daycare learn quickly how to adapt to the rules associated with being in another setting besides their home. They learn to become comfortable with these rules, as well as with new situations and meeting new people. Children who have not been in some sort of daycare, or even a babysitting situation with several children, generally will be much more anxious when the unexpected happens or when new people come along than children who are accustomed to the flexibility of daycare.

Daycare Fosters Independence

Children who are in daycare learn to be much more independent than those who are not because they are somewhat forced to be on their own, away from their parents. This specific type of independence encourages children to interact with other children in their classroom, as well as their teacher, and also to try new things without fear or hesitation. The normal boundaries are pushed for children in daycare, and they quickly learn not to be afraid when mom and dad are not with them. Learning to be independent can give children self-confidence, turning them not only into future successful students, but also self-confident and successful adults. So, if you are a parent whose child or children are currently in daycare, ditch the guilt, and watch them reap the benefits.

Looking for a few good reasons why you should bother becoming more involved in your child’s care? Consider this.

* Parent involvement is one of the key components of high-quality child care.
* Participating in the centre’s or home’s programming makes the facility and the caregivers more accountable to parents.
* Increased participation creats a forum for openness and communication between the caregivers and the parents.
* Children who see their parents trust and enjoy the facility and the caregivers are themselves more trusting and willing to participate in activities.
* Knowing more about the centre or home and caregivers helps you feel more confident in your choice of child care arrangements.
* Children learn by example. Your participation teaches your child(ren) the value of community involvement.

Making Time

“That’s all well and good,” you say, “but I don’t have a lot of time, I can’t just pick up and leave work whenever there is a field trip or theme party.” The truth is, no one expects you to. It is the little things you can do to help out that packs the biggest punch.

Your strong back, new ideas, even your willing hands enhance a facility’s capabilities in many areas. What’s more, you don’t have to wait to be asked to help out. Most caregivers and directors welcome your offers to join the board of directors, leave little notes like these child care tips on the bulletin board, bring in scraps of wool or other craft materials.

They cherish your offer to be the official “cake baker” for holidays and birthdays. They’d love for you to show up for that Saturday morning outdoor play-yard face-lifting session, or you might even help to organize “parents night”.

And if you enjoy puttering with your computer, you might consider putting together a newsletter for parents and caregivers. Certainly no one would object.

Or you could simply spend an extra ten minutes before or after hours to tell your caregiver how much you appreciate her work, or that silly joke you heard at the office water cooler, or that bit of information that would enable her to take better care of your child.

Caregivers, whether they work in a large centre or at home, want you to help in whatever way you can. Participation shows you care. It builds trust and respect. Best of all, it really does make a difference.

Do you want your child to . . .

* learn to read
* enjoy learning
* get along well with others
* make decisions independently
* enjoy solving problems
* develop good coordination?

That’s what a good child care program will do for your child. No matter what type of child care you use, be it center-based, family dayhome or in-home care, you want your child to be involved in daily activities that help them to learn. When you visit the daycare or dayhome, look for signs of activities below. Check the facility’s program and daily schedule. Ask your caregiver what activities your child enjoys best. If you have a nanny or in-home caregiver, work with her to plan out activities that will enhance your child’s development. Below is a quick list of children’s activities and what they learn from them.

* Reading
o Turning pages of a book from beginning to end prepares a child for reading and writing by exposing them to the left to right concept.
o Listening to a story and talking about what happened develops a love of books, helps a child to remember details, and gives them a forum to express their ideas which enhances language development.
* Blocks
o Balancing one block on top of another helps a child develop control and physical coordination.
o Putting blocks in a truck and dumping them out helps a child to understand size, weight, and number concepts which assists them with their math and science.
* Puzzles and Beads
o Finishing a puzzle teaches a child to complete a task, enhances self-esteem and produces good study habits.
o Stringing beads helps a child to coordinate the actions of their eyes and hands and prepares them for reading and writing. Putting beads on a string in a sequence is a math building skill.
* Arts & Crafts
o Cutting paper, glueing, drawing a picture, just gathering the supplies helps a child with their small muscle skills, prepares them for reading and writing, and teaches them the value of carring out a task (independence and study habit building skills).
o Making playdough teaches a child to recognize how materials change – a science building exercise.
* Outdoor Activities
o Throwing and catching a ball and climbing on outdoor equipment develops hand and eye coordination as well as physical development.
o Taking the time to look at plants, insects, to notice the difference in these things with the changing of the seasons sharpens a child’s observation and science skills.

A child who is given ample opportunities to acquire the skills, attitudes and habits of learning will do well in school and in life. Is your child care arrangement giving your child that opportunity?

Extracted from the book, A Parent’s Guide To Early Childhood Education by Diane Trister Dodge and Joanna Phinney. Teaching Strategies, Inc. P.O. Box 42243, Washington, D.C. 20015.

Each of us can name at least one person we consider to be a hero. Even if we cannot name a specific person, we can think of a group of people we admire for their achievements, sacrifices, or for the qualities they possess. Our heroes represent our values and ideals and serve as a role model. They possess a determination, talent or courage that leave us awestruck. They are our inspiration.

And just as heroes play an important role in our lives, they also perform a significant function in a child’s development. All children need heroes and to grow on. Good heroes uplift the spirit; the more inspiring the hero, the more inspired the child.

With all that has transpired since Sept. 11th, children need heroes now more than ever. Pulitzer Prize writer Ellen Goodman asked psychologists what stories they would choose to tell and retell children about the events of that day. “Without a second thought, David Walsh, (founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family), chose the firefighters. Tell children, he said, about ”people who had a choice, who harnessed their own horses of fear to go into that inferno to help people,” wrote Goodman in her Sept. 18th column in The Cincinnati Post.

“James Garbarino of Cornell University, who has worked with children in war zones around the world, said ”choose stories of caring-in-action.” A rescued rescue worker whose first questions were about others. A man who carried a woman on crutches down dozens of floors.”

Heros

Sadly, up until now, children have had few instances of real-life heroes. Celebrities and movie superheroes served as a source of empty inspiration. But these idols do little to teach children of the sacrifices and hard work that go into making a true hero. They lack a vision and the courage of conviction to see that vision through, no matter the personal cost.

“A hero does something worth talking about, but a hero goes beyond mere fame or celebrity. The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. If they serve only their own fame, they may be celebrities but not heroes. Heroes are catalysts for change. They create new possibilities. They have a vision, and the skill and charm to implement their vision,” says author Adam Starchild, in Helping Your Children Choose Their Heroes Through Reading.

If the incident of Sept. 11th has given us anything positive, it has bestowed upon us a proliferation of heart-wrenching stories of one heroic act after another. It has given all of us new heroes to look up to and admire.

Give Children Something To Aspire To

As Betty DeRamus of The Detroit News said in her article Not all the heroes in our lives get the recognition they so deserve, most heroes are ordinary people who’s faces will never show up on Wheaties boxes. Everyday heroes “save lives, soothe spirits and heal hearts.”

In fact, many of these great people are actually children. You only have to look to Web sites such as MyHero.com and abcchildrenfirst.com, to see that children themselves are making the world a better place for all of us.

And you’d be surprised to learn just who ranks above the likes of Britney Spears, Madona or Robin Williams when it comes to being a hero. 38% of 6,000 British youths who participated in a marketing report conducted by BMRB International, picked their own parents as the persons they admired most out of a list of 34 heroes. Across the seven to ten age span parents were consistently in first place.

If our children look to us as the person they admire most, then we have to take up the challenge and BE A HERO. We have to:

* Search out and show our children heroes without number
* Read to our children about individuals who overcame difficult obstacles to reach their goals and contribute to the common good
* Show our children the good in the world
* Let our children know they have the ability to make a difference, no matter how small that difference may seem
* Give our children dozens of real heroes so they can distinguish between heroes and celebrities-and know which ones to emulate
* Guide our children into leading meaningful lives
* Foster their eagerness to learn
* Demonstrate the value of school in accomplishing the goals they want to achieve
* Set up a way for our older children to mentor younger students, and the list goes on.