When is daycare your best option?
May 15, 2009
EVERY woman, dreams of becoming a mother, but juggling children and career can be a nightmare. That is why more daycare centres are springing up to ease the working mother’s load.
By Harriet Birungi
EVERY woman, dreams of becoming a mother, but juggling children and career can be a nightmare. That is why more daycare centres are springing up to ease the working mother’s load.
Cathy Nalubega, a single mother says day care has been good for her and Shanita, her two-year-old daughter. “Ever since Shanita enrolled into a day care, her speech has improved,†she says. “Hearing her say certain words, makes my day and gives me stories to tell when I am with friends.â€
Two of Nice Murungi’s children started school by going to daycare centres. “By the time they joined nursery, Cathy and Carol could speak and count with ease and their potty manners were good,†recalls Nice.
WHY GO FOR DAYCARE?
Aunt Alice, at Summer Kindergarten and Daycare Centre in Kampala says daycare centres teach children physical education; good personal hygiene habits and social etiquette.
Some mothers say they take their children to daycare centres to protect them from bad company at home. Others mothers have large households, which house maids cannot take care of effectively and still look after the children well. The maid will not find ample time between housework and baby sitting, mothers feel secure having their children where they will be cared for.
She adds that some parents go for day care centres so that their children can have ample room to play. “Day care centres have play materials and space that most homes in towns do not have,†she explained.
Dr. Jolly Nankunda, a consultant paediatrician with Mulago Hospital, says working mothers worry a lot about their children yet they need to concentrate on their work. “It has been proved that working mothers do much better when they know that their children are being looking after well,†she says.
CHOOSING THE BEST DAYCARE
Nankunda says because day care is meant for children to play and to socialise, you should consider the following:
-The building should be safe. Children at a tender age are curious, so the building must be free of electric wires jutting around, sharp instruments, have the cooking area away from children’s reach and water sources to avoid drowning.
-The centre must have a play area both inside and outside. This is because toddlers need to exercise.
-Toys, for different ages of children, as they need to be stimulated should be available.
-Well-manicured lawns to keep off snakes and caterpillars. The place must be well enclosed so that children do not stray.
-Enough trained staff in child care, who can talk to the children and stimulate brain development. Ensure that the staff adequately pay attention to every child. Nankunda says it is good to have day care centres as long as you have trained people and facilities for the different children age groups.
-Have a full time nurse, preferably one with paediatric training who can handle emergencies at the centre. The nurse should work hand in hand with parents, for example, consulting them on what they prefer to be done to their children in case of sickness.
“Some parents have family doctors who they trust to attend to their children. It is safe when they are notified immediately their children develop any emergency situations,†explained Nankunda.
-For safety measures, there should be a system of identification. “There should be a system for identifying the child and the person who picks and brings the child. If you are to send someone else to pick the child, let them have a signed letter.â€
-The centre should screen its employees to avoid taking on paedophiles.
-The centre should be able to provide children with balanced meals. The meals have to be planned, fed to the babies who cannot feed themselves and those who can, feeding must be supervised for those that feed themselves. Children need three main meals and snacks which should be served mid morning and afternoon.
EVERY woman, dreams of becoming a mother, but juggling children and career can be a nightmare. That is why more daycare centres are springing up to ease the working mother’s load.
Cathy Nalubega, a single mother says day care has been good for her and Shanita, her two-year-old daughter. “Ever since Shanita enrolled into a day care, her speech has improved,†she says. “Hearing her say certain words, makes my day and gives me stories to tell when I am with friends.â€
Two of Nice Murungi’s children started school by going to daycare centres. “By the time they joined nursery, Cathy and Carol could speak and count with ease and their potty manners were good,†recalls Nice.
WHY GO FOR DAYCARE?
Aunt Alice, at Summer Kindergarten and Daycare Centre in Kampala says daycare centres teach children physical education; good personal hygiene habits and social etiquette.
Some mothers say they take their children to daycare centres to protect them from bad company at home. Others mothers have large households, which house maids cannot take care of effectively and still look after the children well. The maid will not find ample time between housework and baby sitting, mothers feel secure having their children where they will be cared for.
She adds that some parents go for day care centres so that their children can have ample room to play. “Day care centres have play materials and space that most homes in towns do not have,†she explained.
Dr. Jolly Nankunda, a consultant paediatrician with Mulago Hospital, says working mothers worry a lot about their children yet they need to concentrate on their work. “It has been proved that working mothers do much better when they know that their children are being looking after well,†she says.
CHOOSING THE BEST DAYCARE
Nankunda says because day care is meant for children to play and to socialise, you should consider the following:
-The building should be safe. Children at a tender age are curious, so the building must be free of electric wires jutting around, sharp instruments, have the cooking area away from children’s reach and water sources to avoid drowning.
-The centre must have a play area both inside and outside. This is because toddlers need to exercise.
-Toys, for different ages of children, as they need to be stimulated should be available.
-Well-manicured lawns to keep off snakes and caterpillars. The place must be well enclosed so that children do not stray.
-Enough trained staff in child care, who can talk to the children and stimulate brain development. Ensure that the staff adequately pay attention to every child. Nankunda says it is good to have day care centres as long as you have trained people and facilities for the different children age groups.
-Have a full time nurse, preferably one with paediatric training who can handle emergencies at the centre. The nurse should work hand in hand with parents, for example, consulting them on what they prefer to be done to their children in case of sickness.
“Some parents have family doctors who they trust to attend to their children. It is safe when they are notified immediately their children develop any emergency situations,†explained Nankunda.
-For safety measures, there should be a system of identification. “There should be a system for identifying the child and the person who picks and brings the child. If you are to send someone else to pick the child, let them have a signed letter.â€
-The centre should screen its employees to avoid taking on paedophiles.
-The centre should be able to provide children with balanced meals. The meals have to be planned, fed to the babies who cannot feed themselves and those who can, feeding must be supervised for those that feed themselves. Children need three main meals and snacks which should be served mid morning and afternoon.