When to Enter Preschools?

It is never easy for parents to decide when is a good time for a child to attend preschools or childcare centers (i.e, when there is a choice :)). Like many things in this world, there are pros and cons, give and take.

I personally think that it's best to send the kids to a childcare center between the age of 2-3, as I did with both my children. In fact, I considered sending my son to an infant care center from about 3 months old when I started working! (which is indeed a very rare practice in Penang.) My reasoning is as follows:

• A childcare center is regulated, it has a system that the caregivers need to follow. The staffs in a childcare center are also usually formally trained. A private baby sitter who usually learns from her own experience has all the freedom to do anything without control from anyone. Thus I think the risk is higher for the latter, unless it's someone you know very well and someone you can really trust.
• Although in a childcare center the caregiver usually takes care of more than one infant (usually between 2 to 4 infants), she is 100% focus on her job. A private baby sitter on the other hand is usually a homemaker as well for her family and she often needs to multitask between babysitting and housework, so her attention is not 100% on the infant. Besides, there are some private baby sitters who take care of more than 1 child at home.
• There are usually more than 1 caregiver in the childcare center, or a backup system, so when the caregiver is not around someone else can still help. This does not apply for the private baby sitter. When she's sick or has some personal reason to take leave, there is no other people to back her up except the parents.
• Most childcare centers have programs to stimulate the infants' learning thru visual (flash cards), audio (talk to them, sing), sensor (touch) etc. They have a daily schedule for the infants. For baby sitter who is also a homemaker who multitasks, this is harder (but not impossible) to implement. Sometimes she even has to bring the kids out to run errands - many parents don't like this especially when their kids are still infants.
• In general, I find that childcare centers are more supportive to breastfeeding practice as opposed to a conventional private baby sitter. This is probably because preparing formula milk is more convenient and less time consuming compared to storing and warming up breast milk. Some private baby sitters also have the mentality that breast milk is not sufficient to fill the baby's stomach, this can be quite a barrier to successful exclusive breastfeeding. Some of them also think that they know everything from their experience and are not open to suggestions or new practice.

I think it is better to keep a child before age 2 at home to develop a strong immune system and avoid too much contact with other children as they may get sick easily. However as they grow older, it's good to get the children to start socializing with other non-family members. Compared to the past generation, children nowadays have little contact with people other than the family because everyone is so busy. So by sending them to a childcare, they get to socialize with other children and adults. Besides, the centers usually hold a lot of interesting activities that children enjoy doing together, like singing, playing with toys, sand, water, doh, etc. It is hard to enjoy similar activities at home with only 1 or 2 children, and it isn't worth the effort to prepare or clear the mess for those activities. As for toys, it is imposible, impractical and unaffordable for a family to own many toys. But by sending your kids to childcare centers (which can afford many different types of toys), your kids get the chance to play many varieties of toys. It is good to expose the kids to many different things as they can learn more.

Some fear that the kids will learn the bad habits from the other children in a childcare center. I think this problem may happen at any stage when a person starts socializing with others. As a parent, we need to teach our children to judge good and bad, and this has to be done sooner or later. (One potential problem from homeschooling is whether the child will have the necessary skills to socialize as s/he has less interaction with others.) Sometimes, it is easier to send them at a younger age as they can adapt easily. Of course, every child is unique - some may be ready but some may be not, the same holds true for the parents. Not all parents will be ready and willing to "let go" of their children to preschools at the age of 2-3.

By sending both my children to childcare centers from an early age, I was able to have my own time, own space and to work. I think that even for a full time homemaker who takes care of her own children, it is important to get some time of her own, away from the kids to get refreshed and recharged. Of course every individual is different. Some "supermothers" may be very efficient and may not need her own space, but I still think why not send the child to a childcare center, even for just a few hours per week, to get all the benefits?