What Is The Best Age For Children Or Babies To Start Daycare?

If you are one of the many parents seeking out day care programs in Austin, you may be wondering if your little one is even ready for daycare. While there are studies that suggest a child is ready for daycare by a certain age, this does not immediately suggest that every child is ready once they reach that age.

The reason being that every child is different in the way that he or she reacts to the stress of their surroundings and may require more time to become fully prepared both mentally and emotionally for spending time apart from you for any length of time.

Starting daycare is a big milestone in the development of a child and considering when to enroll your child is something you must do carefully, in order to avoid causing any undue stress on the child and making a tough decision even harder.

The Best Age for Enrollment

Experts say that a child is able to start daycare when they are 12 months old. It is the age where they are mentally ready to be separated from a parent for an extended period of time and the stress levels can be managed when he or she is surrounded by an attentive caring staff. Just remember, all children are different, with higher or lower levels of stress management and this can drastically affect the time it takes before you can place your child into preschool.

Some parents may realize they need to enroll their child when he or she is younger than 12 months and, in some cases, this is perfectly acceptable. It all depends on how willing your child is to attend a daycare center and the ease or difficulty the child may have with being apart from you for a part of the day. Even working parents will need to come to some decision as to when they should place the child into a reliable and trustworthy preschool. They may need to accelerate the time needed to ensure that the child is well-prepared.

Spending Time in Daycare

Regardless of your child’s age, there will be an adjustment period necessary for allowing the child to acclimate to being in daycare once they are enrolled. But there is also the consideration of how much time the child is expected to remain in daycare. Children who are expected to spend an entire day in daycare classes may experience higher levels of stress than those who spend only a portion of their day in the care of others, away from home.

This can also have an affect on the age of the child and their ability to start daycare. Children who are away from home longer could have a tougher time than those who are home for a greater part of the day. So an older child may be able to start daycare if they are expected to be there for longer versus starting daycare at the suggested minimum age who may be away from the parent for only just a few hours at a time.

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About the Author: Rachel

Rachel Mitchell: A seasoned journalist turned blogger, Rachel provides insightful commentary and analysis on current affairs. Her blog is a go-to resource for those seeking an informed perspective on today's top news stories.