The trauma caused from exchanging the home environment for a daycare one can cause many children to have issues. The best thing that any parent can do to ease this transition is to choose the right place of care. It is always best to start looking close at home for any friends or family that operate a care center. Admittedly, not everyone has relatives or family members they can use but there are other options for those parents.
If the parent knows anyone else who has children that have attended daycare, they can converse with the child’s parents about that experience. You may find truly great or truly awful tales of encounters and both can help affect your decision. Reviews that are negative with all parents should immediately wave a red flag - on the other hand, inconsistent comments can simply be acknowledged as the result of individual idiosyncrasies.
The Department of Social Services can also offer a list of the daycare providers that are licensed to practice in your area. If you need another resource to come up with possibilities, try your child’s doctor. Additional sources include the yellow book and classified newspaper ads. If your caretaker does not want to meet the child before you enroll them, this should raise a caution. 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.
Most daycare providers understand this sense of longing that children feel and will therefore allow the child to have a favorite toy or blanket with them. Most children become homesick for the first couple of weeks, and this will give them a piece of home to hold on to. Sometimes parents can either improve the situation, or make matters worse by providing the child a picture of themselves to keep with them. Most children will settle down into an activity or two immediately if their parent stays long enough for them to do so. Also, tell your child exactly when you are going to be returning and do not break this promise to the child. A good deal of homesickness at daycare has feelings of abandonment attached, and if the child knows that you will be coming back to them at a certain time, they will be able to overcome this.
The actual leaving process needs to be as positive as it can be for the child. If you send a negative message, or if you seem upset, your child will only be ten times worse than she or he already was. Many parents are crushed at seeing their child cry as they leave, but they should keep in mind that most children cry for a limited amount of time after the parents depart. Don’t spend a whole lot of time on your good-bye, as your child is likely to sob regardless - simply leave and wait until you return to cuddle, hold, and adore the child that you’ve likely missed as much as they’ve missed you.