Hi there, and welcome back! In our last blog, we discovered some of the wonderful benefits of enrolling a child in a reputable daycare program like ours at Rising Generations. Today, we thought we would explore some of the ways you can prepare for an infant daycare program. For many parents, the thought of placing their baby in the hands of others is an awfully scary thought. For one, if you have been on maternity or paternity leave, or have been a stay-at-home or work-from-home parent, the thought of not being able to spend the entire day and night with your child can be heartbreaking—and this is completely normal. For many, the option to stay at home with their baby everyday is simply not a viable or economical option. Fortunately, there are many childcare programs that fit the needs of a variety of parents and families, and infant daycare is one of them. Below, we have compiled a list of tips to help you get ready for the big transition. Please continue reading to learn more.
Become Acquainted with the Daycare Staff & Faculty
First and foremost, you will want to get to know the child care staff and faculty on a first name basis. While you will likely become quite close to those individuals caring directly for your baby, it’s a good idea to get to know everyone on some level to ensure that you know who will be around your baby. Meeting the staff gives you the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the individual needs or concerns regarding your infant. This also gives you a chance to learn about them, their approach to caring for your baby, and about their experience working with children.
Familiarize Yourself with the Facility’s Layout
Before your baby’s first day of daycare, you will want to become familiar with the interior and exterior layout of the facility. Get to know where all the main entrances are and where all the emergency exits are located. Gain a sense of where the other daycare programs are held and where the other children will spend their time. Even though your infant won’t be playing outside on the playground structures, it’s still a good idea to have a mental image of the exterior amenities. Most importantly, you’ll want to explore the infant area so that you know where your baby will be sleeping, eating, and playing. Check out the cribs, baby chairs, changing tables, and any other objects your baby will spend time in or around. Check out the cubby areas and fridges where your baby’s diaper bag and bottles will be kept. You can even take notes in case you have questions you’d like to ask later. At Rising Generations, we offer tours upon enrollment so that our new families can become familiar and comfortable with our facility, and we welcome any questions or concerns you may have about our center. Additionally, you’ll gain peace of mind in learning about the safety and security features in place meant to protect your child and the staff. This can also help you familiarize yourself with the daycare’s emergency plans and security protocols.
Review Daily Schedules
Review the daily and weekly schedules with the staff to ensure that you always know your baby’s eating, sleeping, and playtime schedule. In most cases, the child care staff will work directly with you to design an appropriate routine which is catered to the individual needs of your baby, but you can always request changes and ask for staff recommendations as time goes on.
These are just a few ways you can prepare yourself for the transition into an infant daycare program, which we hope you have found helpful. At Rising Generations, we create a safe, nurturing environment for your baby or young child to develop and grow. Remember, we are now enrolling for both our Lanham and Largo locations for the fall 2017-2018 year and would love for you to join the Rising Generations family. Click or call us to learn more about our childcare and preschool programs.