The Effects of Consistent Childcare
How we are raised has a huge impact on our cognitive, social and emotional development. The effect extends to the consistency of the childcare provider. Children, who are in the care of a consistent caregiver (or even kindergarten teacher) have better chances developing crucial skills. Research has shown, that the effect of consistent childcare in early years impacts later responsibility approach, relationship forging, and communication capabilities.
Having a consistent childcare professional allows for two crucial things to thrive: routine and trust.
Routine
Routine establishes itself over time. Therefore, it necessitates a consistency in who is caring for the child, and how they are caring for the child. Founding routines creates a predictable procedure of the care sessions. The predictability factor creates a sense of security for the child, as it is familiar with how things run and transition from one activity to the next. The familiarity and security for the kids allows them to explore and learn more, using capacities and energy, that is being saved on anticipation.
Additionally, regular routines come with responsibilities – such as putting away toys during “tidy up time.” These initial responsibilities are a great introduction for children to taking an early form of authority. Childcare professionals claim, that a child’s approach to these early responsibilities mirrors later behaviour as well. It is therefore beneficial to teach our little ones responsibilities from a young age, to make their lives easier as they grow older.
Trust
Trust is something, that requires time to build. With consistent care, a child and a childcare provider – such as a babysitter – have the opportunity to form a genuine bond and can deepen it as time goes by.
In effect, the child can learn to develop deeper trust in a non-parental role model. This requires communication and collaboration – both amongst peers and authority figures. It has been shown, that children who receive consistent childcare are often less likely to display aggressive behaviour. Instead, they are more likely to find solutions for daily issues and conflicts with their peers.
Additionally, the caregiver has more time to analyse and understand the needs and individual interests of the child, opening the doors to personalised care and engaging activities, that help them learn and explore. In fact, a deeper understanding of a child also helps the caregiver provide emotional support and encourage them to express their feelings and thoughts.
Lastly: the parents. They can learn more about the caregiver and build a genuine connection as well. Likewise, they can use the repeated care sessions to specify their needs regarding their child, should they feel that a certain need is not being met.
All in all, it is safe to say, that consistent childcare is a win-win-win for all parties involved: child, caregiver and parents. It is natural, that trust and care relationships need time to establish themselves and deepen. However, if that time is granted the pay-off are more comfort, stability and stress for both the child and the parents.