Child Development Associate
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As compared to the past decades, child development associations have proliferated like mushrooms. From huge sophisticated facilities to the simple home based programs, parents now have the freedom to choose from a wide variety of developmental programs for their children. But before they make their choice of program for their little ones, they can’t help but ask themselves if they’re making the right decision. And most of them are concerned about their children’s safety in such programs, especially center based programs.
Furthermore, there are also different types of child development associations. Primarily, there are two kinds of programs: home based and center based. There are large differences between these two in terms of their environmental settings. Home based programs are less stressful for children in terms of the transition from home to another type of environment. It also promotes the involvement of the parents or the whole family in the child’s development. But as convenient as it is for families, a family member should always be present during sessions for liability reasons and this type of program prevents the child from socially interacting with other children.
On the other hand, center based programs gives opportunities for a child to socialize with other children. Most center based associations ensures high standards in child development activities. Though center based programs have favorable qualities traveling to its location can be an inconvenience to families.
Being aware of your needs as a parent is also vital in differentiating which type of program to choose. Consider the time of care you want for your children, if you need regular or intermittent programs, and the location and distance of the institute (if it is center based).
As we go on further we will tackle considerations in choosing the right program for your children.
First of all, parents should consider if the program or institute is run by reputable facilitators. Parents should ask the assistance of the nearest social welfare agency provided by the government in terms of the list of reputable child service providers, its geographic locations (whether the parent will need a car or rely on public transportation), and safety qualities of the building where the center is located. A safe and healthy environment should be considered in selecting child care service facilities.
Also consider the age of your child in selecting a program. Keep in mind that children of different ages have different developmental needs.
Encouragement of a positive relationship between adults and children should also be considered by the parents. It is important that family, teacher or service provider, and child collaboration is underlined as this can also lend a hand in the enhancement of the child’s development. Inclusion of this feature in programs is an additional gain for you and your child.
A core curriculum that cultivate all areas of child development: cognitive, psychosocial, motor, speech and communication, as well as physical skills should be featured in a program of high standards. Education and fun is a very good combination in facilitating learning in children. Approaches in teaching of the staff should also be assessed.
The health and nutrition of children enrolled in these programs should also be a concern. Nutritious food should be available and a licensed health-care provider should always be at hand in monitoring the children’s health.
Choosing the right child development association can be overwhelming for most parents but the hope of improving and widening the life skills of their children is important as the future lies in their hands.
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