Why the Day Care is Best for Working parents? What are its Benefits ?

Even though maternity leave is a nice break from the tensions of building a career and financially supporting oneself, sooner or later one has to get back to the grind. Most families need two incomes to live comfortably in any metropolitan city. In addition to childcare, one also has to consider groceries, conveyance, rent, electricity, and other miscellaneous expenses that can come up. This is the point when parents -especially those with little babies- should consider day care for baby.
 

Baby day care center is where little babies are taken care of for a set period of time, after which the parent can pick up the child once they are free. There is a plethora of activities for the little ones, including fun activities, naptime, and early academics. The advantages of day care are several, with the most prominent one being socialization. It is often at infant daycare that your child will first get accustomed to interacting with peers their age, and caregivers who aren’t their parents. This early interaction improves their linguistic and cognitive abilities, as they learn to navigate a world that is different from what they are used to. The quality of the center can be very influential on the child’s early development, and hence, should be prioritized.

While infant daycare cost can vary based on location and center, you should always prioritize quality first. Day care is going to be an integral part of your child’s early life, and if you can put them in a nurturing environment, then all the better.

Affordability plays an important role when making a decision about day cares. Prices can range anywhere from INR 1,500 to INR 15,000 a month. Consider all available options you have, and choose one that fits your needs. Some higher end day cares might be charging extra for services you may not necessarily require such as SMS updates, meal options, etc.

1. Kidzee – With more than 1500 locations in over 550 cities, Kidzee is by far the largest network of daycares in the country. With the help of an electronic learning tablet, they offer an interactive curriculum, designed to nurture your child’s unique skills. The learning tablet (with parental control) comes pre-loaded with a vast array of educational content such as informative videos and fun quizzes. They also employ well-trained teachers who specialize in teaching young children.
   
   
2. Shemrock Preschool – Founded in 1989, Shemrock is India’s oldest preschool chain. The school is promoted by leading educationists across India, and has over 330 branches across India and the world. It has a unique Shemrock thematic curriculum, along with a student teacher ratio of 10:1. In addition to that, colorful and chirpy classrooms are enhanced with multimedia-based learning and a variety of activities including clay modeling, block building, singing, rhyming and painting.
   
   
3. Kangaroo Kids – Founded in 1993 in Mumbai, it has grown leaps and bounds with 80 centers all across the country, and abroad. Every center is spacious enough to accommodate emotional, physical, cognitive, and social skills in children. The school also caters to kids with special needs, and functions on high parental involvement.
   
   
4. Klay Schools – Klay Daycare provides a safe, secure, and stimulating environment for little children to grow in. They boast of well-lit, ventilated, and temperature-controlled rooms along with plenty of indoor and outdoor play zones. In addition to that, they have a quality-controlled kitchen that serves nutritionally balanced, dietician planned snacks and lunches. Their daycare facility accommodates kids from 6 months to 10 years!
   
   
5. The Treehouse Play School – Founded in 2005, Treehouse Play School has grown by leaps and bounds and now has 500 branches across the nation. Besides a curriculum based on Playway and Montessori, they focus on role play and socio-dramatic plays. They have admissions throughout the year, and provides flexibility in choosing batch and term.
   
   
6. Euro Kids – Another hallmark name in the daycare industry, Euro Kids is another well-known chain with 900 centers spanning 350 cities in India. Their curriculum is based on the Playway and Montessori methodologies, which build on a child’s cognitive, language, motor, self-esteem and social skills. The student to teacher ratio is also favorable, at 10:1.
          
7. Hello Kids – The key differentiator of Hello Kids is that they are the first day care to target the middle-income band of parents, which make up the vast majority of the population! With 285 affordable branches across 22 states, their curriculum is based on the Montessori and Playway methodologies, with a healthy student-teacher ratio of 10:1. They focus on holistic development of every child, with an emphasis on learning through activities and games.
   
   
8. Little Einsteins – Founded by an IIM alumni in 2007, it has gained traction with more than 30 centers across 9 states. There are a variety of programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. There’s also an ‘After School Hours’ program wherein kids can stay till 8pm for children up till the age of 7. They follow the ‘multiple intelligence’ approach by developing a child’s motor, language, cognitive, and social skills. They also teach children about dining etiquette and concept knowledge.
   
   
9. Kids Campus – Kids Campus has more than 70 locations across India. Their International Preschools cater to kids from playgroup to senior kindergarten, with a tailor-made curriculum for each group. They focus on six factors, social and emotional intelligence, language and communication, mathematical understanding, general knowledge, and creative development. They also focus highly on parent involvement and have an exceptional student ratio
   
   
10. Smart Kidz – An ISO 9001:2008 organization, Smart Kidz has been awarded with the ‘Innovation in Preschool Education’ award at the World Education Awards 2014. With a colorful and homely environment, teachers here are trained in teaching techniques for preschoolers.