Early childcare Levin, Montessori day care centre Horowhenua

If you are considering having a child, there are many different things that you’ll be considering as the parent: can we afford the costs involved with having a baby? How do we want to raise our child? What will we name him/her? With so many questions in mind, there are bound to be a few that will get overlooked… one of these questions that can get overlooked during pregnancy is “what are we going to do when we are both ready to go back to work?” As much as being a stay-at-home parent is appealing to many, this option means that there is only one income supporting the family.

When being a stay-at-home parent isn’t an option, you’ll have to start thinking about what options are available for child care. While some may be lucky enough to have a family member who can look after the child while they work, most others will have to look towards paid child care, such as nannies or day care centres.

While there may be a number of pros with hiring a nanny (such as one-on-one care for your child), this is the more costly option for childcare. Paying a full time or part time nanny to take care of your child can average from $8 an hour to $19 an hour. That means that hiring a nanny to look after your child during regular work hours (9am to 5pm) can cost you around $700 a week! For some, that is one person’s entire income for the week.

If hiring a nanny is too expensive for your family, your next option is a childcare centre, as this is probably the most affordable child care options there are. Although your child won’t receive one-on-one care throughout the entire day, they will be in a supervised environment at all times. Not only will your child be supervised, but they will have the opportunity to socialise with other children, thus preparing themselves for what primary school will be like.

Childcare centres generally do a range of activities that cater to all ages: from gardening and playing outdoors to painting and cooking to sewing and music – the children are always encouraged to expand their interests. Some childcare centres will divide their children into different age groups, so that the activities are completely age appropriate.

In terms of age ranges, these will vary between childcare centres – while some childcare centres will take newborns to 5 year olds, others may only take on 2 to 5 year olds. All childcare centres should only hire fully qualified early childhood education teachers, so you can rest assured that your children are being taught and looked after by highly experienced educators.

Have you ever heard about the Montessori philosophy? More and more parents nowadays are enrolling their children in Montessori schools. The Montessori education teaches children about independence, freedom and respect for one another. The children are not taught by formal teaching methods, but are taught to develop their own natural activities and interests. Montessori child care centres are located throughout the entire country, and all teachers are encouraged to always roll model the Montessori practices.

Naturally, as a parent, you will not want your children being looked after by just anyone – therefore be sure to search different early childhood education centres online to get an idea about which centre will be best for your child.