I'M Worried About My Child Having Behavioral Issues In Daycare. What Should I Do?
Sending your child off to daycare can be a big step, and it's natural to worry as a parent. This is especially true if your little one is already having some behavioral issues, or you simply worry that they will start to when they enter the preschool setting. Thankfully, there are many things that you can do to make sure that behavioral issues won't crop up at daycare and become a big problem.
Choose a Daycare Center with a High Staff Ratio
The first thing to think about is choosing a child care center with a high child to staff ratio. This means that there will be more staff on hand to give your little one personal attention. They will be able to spot problem behavior more quickly than an overworked staff, and they can work with the child one on one to solve behavioral issues.
Choose a Structured Program
It also helps to pick a program that gives the child a lot of structure. Creating a strong routine and keeping your child occupied are to main benefits of child care. For example, a Montessori preschool, like North End Montessori School, offers a lot of structure, since they have activity stations that children can rotate through during the course of the day. But many child care programs can offer great structure and routine by helping the child to follow a consistent activity schedule each day.
Talk About Behavioral Issues Beforehand
When you think you've found the right preschool program for your child, it's time to sit down with some of the lead staff to discuss the problems that you're worried about. If there's a specific behavior that you don't want to continue, ask how they would handle your child in that situation. By talking with the staff ahead of time, you can warn them of things to look out for and also make sure that they are capable of handling the behavior.
Ease Into Daycare
One thing that can help to alleviate your worries is to introduce child care centers a little bit at a time. Send your child to a daycare one day per week and see how they adjust to that setting. Have the staff report back carefully about the behavioral issues they are seeing and the actions they are taking to correct them. If all goes well and you feel comfortable, you can gradually work up to a full-time child care center routine.
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