Is home daycare the place for older children?

[torontokids]

Maybe I am just having a bad day but I have been wondering if home daycare with me is the best place for my daughter. She is happy but a lot of this is tied to having a playmate her age, If he leaves then she would have no one but a house full of babies. Should kids this age be around lots of other children their age? What are your thoughts?

I am thinking about this mostly because we are so limited to the numbers we can have and at least in a preschool/centre there are many more options as to who they can play with etc...

[Bookworm]

You could consider putting her into preschool or another home daycare that has children her age one or two days a week so that she can hang out with kids her own age. Also, since you said your daughter is 3, she will be going to JK next September, correct? It would be a great way for her to experience what it is like to be away from you and give her the "school" experience before she goes to JK and it not be such an adjustment for her next year.

I should add that, for me personally, I did/am doing this for both my children. My daughter just started Jk this September, but prior to that I had her in the preschool down the road two days a week just so that she had some time away from me and to hang out with kids her own age. My son is starting preschool next month as he has never been with anyone but me and is a super mama's boy (so looking forward to him going). I know that if I don't put him in now, he may not ajust nicely once he goes to Jk.

[Cadillac]

I've been thinking about that for my little one. but then I'm stuck with the other kids her age with no buddy. Catch 22. Maybe once the new one is born I'll put her in

[Cadillac]

to answer the question it depends on her relationship with that one child her age. if the are really really close, then the relationship is worth staying for.

[Artsand crafts]

I am keeping a dcg that is about my son's age and they play very well. The others are babies. She is a great child, but there is something that bugged me with the parents (long story...). At the end I opted for keeping her. Otherwise I would have enrolled my son in a part time daycare or preschool for a couple of days a week so he could be around kids his age. I preferred not to do that and compromise a little. The main reason I opened my daycare was to have my son close by during his first years and at the same time he could have other kids to play with.

She was on vacation for a few weeks. He was sooo happy when she came back and I could see the difference on how he played with the girl compared how he interacted with the babies.

[SongSparrow]

We start school at age 5 here in NS, so I sent my girls to preschool two mornings a week for the year they were 4. I wanted them to get used to being away from me as well as being part of a larger group of their peers.

[eoinsmom]

My son went to preschool to get out and around other kids his age and it was wonderful for him! He has started kindergarten this fall and fell into routine great from the preschool.exposure.

[Lou]

My 3 yrs old son has always had difficulties with my home daycare even though I started it up when he was just a baby. He is intense by nature and has what one behaviouralist refers to as a "spirited" personality, lol. My little man <3 It actually got so bad at one point that I considered closing. He has a lot of trouble with sharing his space, "his" toys and his Mommy. All understandable, but his intense reactions made for long days. For the last few months he has attended a preschool (all day) 2 days a week and it has been wonderful! Not only for him to break away from the daycare and learn to socialize on neutral territory, but it does give him a taste of being away from me and listening to adults other than myself and my husband. I did feel rotten about it at first and questioned if we were doing the right thing...I mean, I do DAYCARE from home, right?? Why on earth would I pay for him to go somewhere else when he can be home with me? But all said and done, he does beautifully there and his days there give me a lighter load and a chance to really be able to focus in on my daycare group without the constant behavior direction with my boy.