For families where both parents work outside the home or for single parents, finding quality day care often is a must. Day care provides a chance for your child to interact with other children, develop social skills and get a head start on learning. But as with anything, there are pros and cons.
Cost
Daycare centers aren't as expensive as hiring a personal nanny, but you can easily find yourself paying $300 to $1,200 monthly to keep your child in day care full time. This can take a chunk of your monthly income. Make sure it's worth it to continue working. In some cases, you could end up earning about as much as it costs to send your child to day care.
Staffing
One teacher or staff member may be assigned to take care of multiple children. Adult to child ratio regulations vary from state to state, but many require one teacher for every four babies and one teacher for every six toddlers. If a teacher has his hands full, your child may struggle to get the attention she wants and/or needs.
Social Skills
Young children get the opportunity to socialize with one another throughout the day, learning social skills such as sharing and compromising. These skills can be valuable as they get older and enter elementary school.
Separation
If your child is at day care for 8 to 10 hours a day, that's a lot of time spent away from you and a lot of moments that you will miss. You may find yourself longing for more time with your child, while your child may become more independent because of the lack of time with you.
Exposure
While your child may pick up lots of good habits at day care, such as sharing and picking up toys after playing, he can also pick up some poor ones, such as biting or curse words. Illness is another thing your child is exposed to at day care. Pink eye, the flu and other illnesses can spread quickly from one child to the next. Your child may become sick more often because of this exposure to germs from other children.
School Readiness
Many children going to school for the first time can suffer from separation anxiety due to being away from their parents or home. They may be less comfortable around a large group of children and may not have the social skills to make friends quickly and easily. Children that have been in day care have been socializing and making friends already and this can make the transition to school less difficult.
