Deciding between Childcare and Homecare

Childcare or Homecare? Larry is coming to 18 months in 4 months’ time and I have been reviewing if we should enrol him in a childcare centre (half-day/ full-day) or continue to care for him at home. Weighing the pros and cons of childcare versus homecare, and after much thought, we decided that it is of ours and Larry's best interest that we place him in the care of professionals at the childcare centre. Some advantages which I value in placing Larry at the childcare centre are:

Professional Caregivers

The childcare centre provides caregivers who are professionally trained and qualified in baby/ toddler care with certification. Many of the caregivers/ teachers bring with them years of valuable experience and knowledge in baby/ toddler care and education.

The quality of the caregivers are managed by the childcare centre and regulated by ECDA. This assures me that the caregivers have been screened, are professionally managed and meets the minimum requirements needed for employment in childcare. It has been mandated that by 1 January 2016, at  least 75% of educarers in all childcare centres for Infants, Playgroup and Nursery 1 children has to be trained at ACEY or CECCE level. (ACEY=WSQ Advance Certificate in Early Years. CECCE=Certificate in Early Childhood Care & Education)

For those who might be wondering what is ECDA, here's a description of some of the things they do:

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is a government agency that acts as the regulatory and developmental authority for all aspects of children's development below the age of 6, across both kindergartens and child care centres in Singapore. The ECDA processes the Recognition of Pre-school Qualifications together with Teacher Certification. It regulates the criterion and deployment levels for Early Childhood Teachers and certifies teachers based on their qualifications.

Scheduled Activities

As a parent, I would like to know what my child is doing when he is away from me in childcare. Childcare centres offer a list of activities to help in the child's development. They are required to engage the children in age appropriate activities which would stimulate their mental, physical and social development. These activities are all pre-planned and set out in a timetable format which is shared with parents.

Children like daily, predictable routines. Knowing that they will be doing certain things like having lunch, showering, napping etc. at certain times of the day, the childcare centre's structured timetable will allow Larry to develop a sense security and order. It will also help him develop self-discipline as he learns to follow a routine.

Planned Meals

Just like the activities, the menu for the children’s mealtimes is planned out in advance and this information can be shared with parents. As a parent, I would like to be well-informed that my child is having a balanced diet in childcare.

Structured Curriculum

Childcare centres offer a structured curriculum for activities like English/ Mandarin language lessons etc. Thus, I can be assured that my child is learning something useful in childcare and progressing.  My child would be able to benefit academically from childcare through the centre's structured curriculum which will help prepare him for school in future.

Attainable skills

Through interaction with the caregivers, teachers and other children in childcare, my child will be able to learn valuable social and communication skills. There will also be a wide variety of games and toys that he can play with and activities which he can be involved in at the childcare centre. Some childcare centres have a library corner where the children can read and conveniently borrow books home. This means that we can save on buying toys and books!

The activities and toys at the childcare centres are pre-planned with the children's development in mind to help them develop in their speech, motor skills etc. guiding them to reach their developmental milestones.

Environment

In childcare, everything is done in a controlled manner as childcare centres are required to meet acceptable standards in safety, hygiene, health and nutrition. Childcare centres carry out scheduled cleaning of the centres very frequently and the toys are sanitized very frequently as well. These assure me that my child will be taken care of in a clean and safe environment. 
 

With all the above mentioned, I embark on my search for a suitable childcare centre. In my next post, I will share the factors which I had taken into consideration, paid attention to and enquired about during childcare centre visits when choosing a suitable childcare centre for Larry. To read more, click here.