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| |    Child-Care Needs at Different Ages by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. When choosing a child-care center, it's helpful to think about your child's needs at different ages. Infants Infants do best in small settings--just a few babies and two or three adults who know them well. Older, more active children should be in a different space. There should be a separate quiet place for napping. The level of stimulation (noise, bright lights, activity) should be low, but there should be a few interesting things to look at and do: books, rattles, toys to bang and build with, places to crawl or walk to. Quiet music is fine, but not TV. Each child's day should be structured around her individual rhythms and needs. A baby shouldn't have to wait long to be fed, held, comforted, or played with. The child-care providers should report on each baby's activities and developmental progress daily, as well as her emerging individual likes, dislikes, and temperament. Diapering and bottle preparation should each have their own space, well apart from each other, to reduce the spread of infections. Little infants should be fed in the caregiver's arms; older infants can sit in highchairs. Toddlers Toddlers need more room to move around, more options, and more structure. In addition to books and music, there should be toys for building, art, and make-believe. There should be a place for outdoor play. Inside or out, places for active play (climbing, running) have to be childproofed for safety and always supervised. Nap times should be on a regular schedule. There should be highchairs for feeding. Meals should be on a regular schedule, but with many snacks so that there is a chance to eat every two to three hours. Group size can be bigger, about 10 to 15 children maximum, with a staff ratio of four children to one provider, at the most. Toddlers still need a warm, trusting relationship with their primary care-providers. The caregivers need to be able to set limits effectively, but without harshness or threats. Preschoolers Preschool children can make many choices, but do best in a predictable structure. There should be times for indoor play, outdoor play, stories, art, eating, and resting. Many three- and four-year-olds will still need an afternoon nap, but some may just rest rather than sleep. The room should have child-size chairs and tables. Ideally, toilets should also be child-size so that young children can be more independent (but stepping stools and helpful adults also help). There should be spaces for make-believe play, building, art, reading, and other activities. In good centers, the teachers change these areas periodically, to keep things fresh for the children and for themselves. The child-care providers (teachers might be a better term) need to respect each preschooler's temperament and needs, set firm but kind limits, and think about different ways to stimulate the child's overall development. Areas of special importance are self-control, getting along with peers, and verbal development. Older children Many families need care for children before and after school. Most experts think that children need to be at least eight or nine years old before they can be safely left alone after school, and only then with close adult contact and careful emergency plans in place. For the most part, young children should not be left in the care of older siblings. Middle-school students often do well in self-care, but some research suggests an increased risk of cigarette, alcohol, and drug use, and perhaps other risk-taking behaviors. Closer parent supervision (phone calls, for example) seems to help. For information about after-school programs in your area, try the Child Care Aware program of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). The state-by-state listing of resource referral offices is at www.childcareaware.org. You can also use the toll-free phone number: 1-800-424-2246. For more information about NACCRRA, see its website at www.naccrra.org. Talk about:
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