daycarecalgary-blog

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Why Choose Smaller Size Daycare Centre in Calgary?

One of the questions parents ask us when searching for a daycare is why should they choose a smaller space than a larger, more populated centre? It’s a good question and one that asks of the parent what their main goal is for their child’s care. Is it to have as much fun as possible on a jungle gym, or is it to gain a leg up in terms of readiness for school years?

Even with ratios of caregiver to student set by government, the atmosphere at larger centres is going to be more chaotic. More children lead to more noise leads to more children drawn to the noise leads to more children wanting to join in the noise, in an adorable, but ultimately wasteful loop. Yes, playing is fun, and learning how to interact with groups of people is highly important for children to learn social adaptation. But the very early years of a child’s development are perhaps the most important when it comes to their future self. Habits are imprinted, passions are stoked and interests pile up.

In a smaller care environment, each child can be treated more as an individual, and the caregivers are better able to focus attention on nurturing the individual likes and passions of each child. More time can be spent per child, but more importantly, the caregivers are better able to form closer bonds with each child, as there are fewer children overall that need to be watched over, thus leading to a much higher quality of care. And in a major study, high-quality care’ has been defined as “sensitive and responsive”, reflecting the caregiver-child interaction and stimulation.

Studies have shown that the quality of care is highly correlated to the benefits a child may receive from daycare in later years. The type and quality of care has been discovered to influence various aspects of development including memory, language development, school readiness, math and reading achievement, the nature of relationships with parents and teachers, social skills, work habits and behavioural adjustment, at least through grade school.

In short, the higher the quality of care, with the more sensitivity and interaction with your child that is present, the better the benefits your child will accrue from their daycare experience.

Little Angels is committed to providing the highest quality Calgary daycare possible, which we achieve by having smaller numbers than other local care centres, as well as caregivers who are passionate and dedicated to the development of your child. This creates an individualized growth, where the needs and desires of your child are nurtured; where your child advances much faster than peers; and where your child forms bonds with both caregivers and students alike. All these factors combine to enable children a much higher degree of readiness for grade school and beyond, setting themselves up for greater levels of achievement.

Or as we like to say, a Little Angel goes a long way!

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Why Environment Of Daycare Matters To Your Child's Happiness?

As parents, it definitely is not easy to let go of your toddler’s hand, taking them to daycare as we continue our regular 9:00-5:00 schedule. However, this is the reality of working parents and many are daunted by the task of finding a daycare/preschool for their child.

When choosing childcare in Calgary, parents must stop and think about what that “full day of learning,” entails. At Little Angels daycare, it is not just what and how your child learns, but the environment within which they learn. Understanding these factors that contribute to how we nurture your child is imperative to ensure that parents are at ease with their choice in daycare.

A study published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory in 2002, shows us that feelings such as boredom, frustration and embarrassment, can incite one’s mind to go into “flight or fight” mode. As such, it is crucial from a young age that children harness these emotions. In time, this will help to lay the foundations that will prove valuable during times of stress in their adult life.

Daycare environments play a big role in how children experience the emotions that lead to “flight or fight mode.” In adult life, stress seems to be present daily. However, with toddlers, infants and preschoolers, even the smallest of situations can cause extraordinary panic. Psychology proves that when children are exposed to excess stress levels from early stages of life, they struggle to return to a calm baseline.

At our Airdrie daycare, caregivers strive to make Little Angels stress-free for your child. Our intimate setting allows for our caregivers to form a close bond with your child, thus forming the strength imperative to manage stress in and out of daycare.

A stress-free environment also depends on the how the daycare looks, which helps encourage children to share and socialize more strongly with those around them. With an organized and tidy daycare, your child will feel open to learning, flourishing in a positive environment. Furniture should “fit” the child, both mentally and physically. At Little Angels, the design of our preschool cultivates a space that is comfortable, welcoming, safe and educationally effective.

Little Angels prioritizes the needs of your child, thinking critically about the underlying factors– such as our learning environment– that will contribute to the tools your child will have to thrive while in daycare.

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Airdrie Child Care Subsidy Eligibility Details

Raising children is no easy feat and financially it can get pretty expensive. While many new parents begin budgeting for new babies well before they even arrive, it’s hard to predict just how costly child care can get. So what can parents do? Luckily, the government offers subsidies to help parents alleviate the financial burden of costly child care. The unfortunate part however, is navigating the system to understand what is available and how to get it. But don’t worry, we’re here to help!

In Alberta, financial assistance provided through the Ministry of Children’s Services is available for eligible lower-income families using:

·        Licensed Airdrie day care centres

·        Licensed group family child care

·        Licensed out-of-school care centres

·        Licensed pre-schools

·        Approved family day homes

·        Approved early childhood development programs

Depending on the program type and the age of your child, the maximum subsidy rates may vary.

You can apply for a subsidy if:

You or your spouse/partner, or the child are Canadian citizens.

You or your spouse/partner are permanent residents of Canada and live in Alberta.

Your child is 12 years of age or younger and is not yet attending Grade 7.

You and your spouse/partner are currently working, attending school, looking for work or have special needs.

You or your spouse/partner stay-at-home and have your child enrolled in a licensed pre-school or approved early childhood development program.

To find out if you are eligible, you can fill out your applicant information through the Alberta Human Services Child Care subsidy form.

If you are not eligible for these reasons, there are other child care subsidy options available. For any inquiries about child care subsidies you can contact Alberta Human Services or call toll free at 1‑877‑644‑9992.

(Source)

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Calgary Daycare Helps Build Successful Students

Why Choose Calgary Daycare For Your Child?

In Canada, over 70% of children are in a form of daycare 1. While it is a common reason that parents place their child in a daycare due to full-time jobs, others see the beneficial cognitive development that it grants their child for early success in kindergarten and grade school.

Preparing Children for Grade School

With childcare programs constructed for infants to school-aged children, our secure and friendly environment ensures that each child is nurtured in a way they will never feel alone. Upon entering grade school, many children battle extreme separation anxiety; the attention paid to them by Little Angels’ passionate childcare professionals alleviates this and helps ensure your child can build strong inter-personal relationships. Having discovered how to make friends and have a little independence from their parents your child will have an easier transition when entering kindergarten.

Growing In Tandem

Our committed and stimulating Airdrie daycare and preschool progresses with your child and their needs. As your child develops, they outgrow their toys. Our play-based learning develops in tandem with your child, producing a larger vocabulary to enhance their language development. Having a greater vocabulary at 24 months has been associated to well-founded skills in math, reading and behaviour at age five 2. In addition, they build on their ability to form closer relationships with peers and adults.

It is common for children to fall behind in their early years of school, not understanding simple addition, multiplication, subtraction and division skills or not meeting the reading criteria per grade. These early academic targets are introduced in preschool, but it is more so the motor-skills, creative problem-solving and language skills emphasized in daycare that make these children so successful later on. When they cannot meet curriculum-set grade goals, these children often develop into teens who struggle to keep up in high school. Thus, the importance of early learning is even further enhanced.

The Path to Your Child’s Achievement

Children who had spent their days in high quality daycare centres have been found to have better vocabulary by the fifth grade than those who had not. (https://www1.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/documents/seccyd_06.pdf –this is a 52 page pdf). Little Angels provides children the opportunity of early learning and because of this, children socialize more frequently with peers, learn responsibility, social rules, hygiene, structure and routine.

Our Airdrie daycare and preschool fuses social, emotional and academic development with playtime to build your child’s success in kindergarten and beyond in math, literacy and socialization. The life lessons your child learns while in daycare are priceless, and will set them on the right path in their lives going forward.

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How to Balance Work and Having a Small Child

Rid Yourself of Guilt

We all feel guilt when we first have a child and have to do anything else other than take care of them. But for the sake of maintaining a productive balance, every parent has to force themselves to not feel guilty when taking time to work, relax and unwind sometimes. That first day of leaving your children with someone else is always hard, but it gets easier with time.

Focus Your Mindset

When you are at work, make sure you are mentally present. New parents constantly worry, especially during the earlier days of leaving your child elsewhere. Make sure you check in appropriately but do not let it disrupt your work day, or else you will become unproductive. 

Pick A Daycare You Trust

Be sure to consider your daycare options wisely. Though pricing is a huge factor for young parents, choosing one you can leave your child at with ease is important so you can focus at work. Make sure they have open houses and comprehensive information sessions so you can learn everything you can and get all your answers questioned.

Solidify Your Schedule

Make sure you have a schedule that you can work around for pickup and drop offs. Because we are an Airdrie daycare, many of our parents work far away in the city, meaning it is even more important that Little Angels daycare can offer a trustworthy environment for parents.

Enjoy the Weekends

Make time for your kids during your time off, and make sure you are present for them. During weekends, find enjoyable activities that you can do together. This is a time you will never have again as your kids will sprut up right in front of your eyes.

Little Angels: Daycare Calgary NW