Despite recent trends, there are still many daycare centers that don't really offer a lot in the way of a program for the education and entertainment of the children they care for. For some business operators, daycare is just about catering to the physical needs of children and providing just enough in the way of toys and playgrounds to keep them entertained.
Thankfully, most daycares are now recognizing the need for at least some structured curriculum. The environment that a child under six is exposed to is so important in influencing their mental and physical development that we owe it to the kids to take daycare more seriously.
Good planning also makes good business sense as not only will daycare managers and staff feel more satisfied in their work but schedules full of educational activities look great when promoting a center to parents. Children that are kept busy with stimulating activities are also less likely to get bored and should display better discipline. Here are some ideas and tips for structuring a program for a daycare.
1) Don't give children access to all the toys and activities at one time. Too much access will end up meaning that they get bored with all of it. Instead you can rotate toys and activities to offer variety and maintain the interest of the children.
2) Have a schedule written up each week for children and parents to see the basic program but also make it clear that you give staff permission to deviate from the program depending on the mood of the children. Have the schedule balance rowdy activities with quiet activities throughout the day. For example, when kids wake up from their mid-day nap and are still a little sleepy you can read stories to them. Rowdy and more independent activities can be organized for mid-morning when kids are feeling fresh and have a lot of energy and in the afternoons when they get a little restless you can organize activities that are more focused and supervised.
3) Have each family buy a 'parent communication handbook' and instruct you staff to make notes about what the kids did that day and any other points that parents should be aware of. Many parents will appreciate contact from daycare staff and this helps to build a relationship and shows that you care.
4) Allocate small blocks of the schedule for children to learn 'life skills' such as brushing their teeth or carrying their empty plates to the kitchen.
5) Have a schedule for the group as a whole but also allocate time for individual learning. Give kids a chance to develop any particular interests that they may have and support and encourage them. It is worth learning some more about the Montessori approach to early childhood education and adapting and implementing some of their theories in your daycare.
6) Take at least a couple of photographs of each child every month and give these to parents or email them. You can sell them but giving them away for free offers a nice personal touch to your customer service and will help parents understand your curriculum more.
7) Design a schedule that is well rounded in activities. Depending on the age group of children, a full schedule should include music, story time, art classes and play dough and physical activities outdoors. Guest speakers can be invited to your daycare to talk to the children and you can even organize excursions if you can organize transport with child safety seats.
Feel free to try out a variety of schedules to see what works depending on the children that you care for and the resources that you have available. Keeping kids busy and ensuring that all time slots have a designated purpose is the key to daycare success. Make sure that you put in the necessary research and planning to create an exciting and educational schedule and curriculum for your kids to grow and learn.
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