One of the questions parents ask us when searching for a daycare is why should they choose a smaller space than a larger, more populated centre? It’s a good question and one that asks of the parent what their main goal is for their child’s care. Is it to have as much fun as possible on a jungle gym, or is it to gain a leg up in terms of readiness for School years?

Even with ratios of caregiver to student set by government, the atmosphere at larger centres is going to be more chaotic. More Children lead to more noise leads to more children drawn to the noise leads to more children wanting to join in the noise, in an adorable, but ultimately wasteful loop. Yes, playing is fun, and learning how to interact with groups of people is highly important for children to learn social adaptation. But the very early years of a child’s development are perhaps the most important when it comes to their future self. Habits are imprinted, passions are stoked and interests pile up.

In a smaller care environment, each child can be treated more as an individual, and the caregivers are better able to focus attention on nurturing the individual likes and passions of each child. More time can be spent per child, but more importantly, the caregivers are better able to form closer bonds with each child, as there are fewer children overall that need to be watched over, thus leading to a much higher quality of care. And in a major study, high-quality care’ has been defined as “sensitive and responsive”, reflecting the caregiver-child interaction and stimulation.

Studies have shown that the quality of care is highly correlated to the benefits a child may receive from daycare in later years. The type and quality of care has been discovered to influence various aspects of development including memory, language development, school readiness, math and reading achievement, the nature of relationships with parents and teachers, social skills, work habits and behavioural adjustment, at least through grade school.

In short, the higher the quality of care, with the more sensitivity and interaction with your child that is present, the better the benefits your child will accrue from their daycare experience.

Little Angels is committed to providing the highest quality care possible, which we achieve by having smaller numbers than other local care centres, as well as caregivers who are passionate and dedicated to the development of your child. This creates an individualized growth, where the needs and desires of your child are nurtured; where your child advances much faster than peers; and where your child forms bonds with both caregivers and students alike. All these factors combine to enable children a much higher degree of readiness for grade school and beyond, setting themselves up for greater levels of achievement.

Or as we like to say, a Little Angel goes a long way!