The transition from staying home to entering a full time daycare can be a difficult one for many children. To help ease the little one's trauma, a parent should take the steps to get them into the best facility they can. It is always best to start looking close at home for any friends or family that operate a care center. There are, of course, additional tips for parents to consider if that one is not something that is available to them.



The best tool a parent can use while picking a daycare is the simple conversation about any potential care center with other parents that they know. You may find truly great or truly awful tales of encounters and both can help affect your decision. It is true that not every parent will have a great tale about the same provider because not every child will get along with every caretaker, but if every parent you talk to has had a bad experience, you should take that as a sign that the caretaker is not one you want taking care of your child.

An additional resource is the Department of Social Services, as it can give you the names of the daycare workers that are licensed. Your pediatrician may also be able to give you a recommendation because many doctors get to know their patients fairly well, particularly with children. Your local newspaper and phone book, under child care professionals, can provide other leads. The best providers will want to meet your child prior to enrollment. Take your child with you to this meeting if possible as this will give them a chance to look around their new environment and meet the person or people who will be caring for them.

Ask the daycare staff if it will be okay if the child carries his or her favorite comfort item with them for the first several weeks. Most children become homesick for the first couple of weeks, and this will give them a piece of home to hold on to. Another tool parents use to help their child feel at ease is giving them a picture of home - usually of a family member - though parents should use caution because sometimes this only worsens the sense of loss that your child feels.

Staying until the child gets lost in play or other activity is an additional way that parents can help ease the homesickness. If you know the specific time you will be picking the child back up, tell them. Knowing what time your workday will end means daycare will be easier, especially if your child knows exactly what time they will see you again as it gives them a sense of security.

A huge mistake that many parents make is not being positive enough when they depart. Sending a positive attitude to the child will help him or her believe that everything is going to be okay. It typically takes less than fifteen minutes of crying before the child calms down after their parents leave. Though walking out the door after a good-bye is always best, you should feel free to be as extravagant as you want when you return to pick them up.