Children are often the light of our lives. They keep us entertained. They amaze us with their ability to pick up a handful of new words every day as they advance in toddlerhood, and keep us honest by asking more than 400 hundred questions a day by the time they are in preschool. Rapid development and endless curiosity are two of the reasons why parents enroll their young children in an early childhood education setting. A daycare center exposes children to a number of educational, social, and academic opportunities on a daily basis. This can foster faster language development and encourage early social skills that cannot be gained from staying at home with a parent.

Child care has been an important industry in America for obvious reasons. Parents who are unable to take care of their children at home, or are part of the workforce, need a caring, enriching environment to supervise their children. Even the federal government understood this need in World War II, when they sponsored child care for 400,000 preschool children. For parents who cannot afford day care, the government still offers subsidies to low income families. This is important because children in preschools learn early math, reading and language skills, and they are taught basic social skills that include sharing, kindness, and tolerance. These early experiences can be crucial to building a young child’s confidence, and can translate into success as the child grows older. In fact, studies show that children who are enrolled in quality preschool programs are less likely to have future run ins with the law, need special education, and repeat grades.

Additionally, an early childhood education setting can be a great catalyst to teach your child the basics of self-sufficiency. A typical preschooler is about 3 to 4 years old, and can begin learning how to take care of themselves. You can let them pick out and put on their own clothing, which teaches them a level of independence. You can even show your child where to put dirty clothes at the end of the day, and where to find fresh ones for the next day. Allowing children to brush their own teeth and hair are also an important part of getting them ready for preschool. Self-hygiene is often part of the curriculum in preschools, and can be a great extension of learning for children.

Enrolling your child in an early childhood education setting might be one of the most crucial decisions you can make in your child’s life. Not every center will be right one for your child, so make sure you research them well, and visit each one. Without seeing the facility and the people who work there, it is not wise to pick one. You can also look online for daycare tips for parents to get an idea of what else you should look for. Getting your child a quality, early start to learning will put them on the road to feeling more confident and successful. Let them dazzle you with what they can accomplish. Find more on this topic here.