Part time child care near me? Is it worth the cost and does your child get anything from it? Especially 1 or 2 days a week. Is there part time child care that offers just a few hours a day?

Part time child care or part time daycare is a viable option for many people. Since the COVID pandemic hit us all more and more parents are looking at part time child care. Let’s dig into part time child care and see if its good for you and your child.

You might want to know if there is any part time child care near you? Are there any good daycares? How would I know?

Parents also want to know if part time child care is good for their child. There is a lot of evidence that it is but it matters how much your child goes to a child care program.

There are also some negatives to part time child care. Especially when compared to a child going full time. We’ll dig into the cons of part time child care.

Is There Any Part Time Child Care Near Me?

The answer is yes. Most child care and daycare programs in Calgary have some kind of part time program. A few we spoke to didn’t because of limited space and only wanted full time (5 days a week) children. But that’s rare in Calgary.

Part time child care can be days or hours. What we mean is that some child care programs can do more of a half day or even drop in program. Others, like 2000 Days Daycare School, use days of the week to indicate part time child care. 2, 3 or even 4 days a week.

Some do have 1 day a week but its rare to find. The reasons for this are for the good of your child. Let us explain a bit more.

Here’s a government list of child care programs in Calgary and Alberta.

Is Part Time Child Care Near Me Good For My Child?

Daycare in general is good for your child. Being with their peers and socializing is vital to a child in their first 2000 days of life. Being at home with mom or dad is great but too much of a good thing can also not be the best for anyone.

Think on it this way. Your child spends 7 days a week with dad or mom. They do go on a play date here or there. For a few hours. That’s typical in Calgary. They spend a lot of time with mom or dad and not in daycare with peers.

At first this sounds like the perfect situation but from experience and talking to dozens of families this can be less then ideal. The issue with just one caregiver is that they child only learns from them. They have little to no other reference for a large part of their day.

They will also pickup all the habits of that person. And if the child’s caregiver doesn’t put in at least some effort to socialize and educate then it might not be the best situation for the child.

Your probably thinking… “so it’s better to put my child in part time child care near me?”. The answer is yes. Part time daycare is actually ideal. They get time with their loved one or caregiver, mom or dad. They get to be around their peers for a few days a week and get education from professionals. The social aspect alone is amazing for children.

Also the cost of part time child care in Calgary has come down. The government put in subsidies and grants for daycares in Calgary and area. Childcare has never been cheaper.

Daycare can be very beneficial for your child. This Global News article is great. Take a look.

Children who go to daycare are better behaved, more advanced: study – National | Globalnews.ca

Part Time Child Care Can Also Be A Negative

Ok. You’re saying to yourself… “I’ll put my child in part time child care near me. They’ll thrive”. That is a true statement with a but. The but is the amount of time your child will be in part time daycare. Will it be 1 day or 3 days. Will it be a half day or more?

From experience we’ve noticed children in a child care program for only 1 day don’t take well to it. The reason for this is that one day in child care isn’t enough.

By the time they come back the next week its like dropping them off from the very first time. Bad for the child and for you.

Even 2 days can be tough. The key to having your child in daycare for 2 days a week is to not have the days too far apart if you can help it.

So don’t have them come on Monday and Tuesday. Then wait 5 days for them to come back. It resets them and its like dropping your child off for the first time again.

Half days are the same if they’re far apart. If your child is in a half day child care program then try to have them come daily or ever other day. Don’t wait a week between drop offs.

Bottom line on the negatives of part time child care is that you want to try to space the days out. This is so your child will feel like they’re there a lot and get comfortable with the daycare setting.

Is There Amazing Part Time Child Care Near Me?

No idea to be honest. It matters where you live and what child care programs are in the area. Are you willing to drive a bit to get your child into an amazing daycare program?

The best thing you can do is call around. Call the child care programs near you. Ask them questions like staff turnover, meal program, size of rooms and cleanliness. Then go online and see if the reviews match what they told you.

Try to get referrals from other parents or online. See what others are saying about that child care program near you.  Here’s a great article on how to pick an amazing child care program.

https://www.parents.com/baby/childcare/basics/8-tips-for-choosing-child-care/

The more effort you put into looking for a great part time child care program near you the better experience your child will have. And you! There are a lot of programs that might not suite what you want or the quality just isn’t there.

Take time and care. This is a big decision and moving child care programs is tough on your and your child. It’s possible to move daycares once you choose one buts its not and ideal situation.

Part Time Child Care Near Me Conclusion

Part time child care near you is worth it. Your child will get to socialize with their peers and hopefully, in a great program, get educated. They won’t be at home all the time with on caregiver. That gives them more diverse experiences to pull from.

There are many child care programs in your area. There has to be a great one somewhere within a short drive from your home. But its up to you to do the due diligence and find the best ones.

Child care is much more affordable in Calgary and Alberta with the new grants and subsidies. There is little reason not to put your child in a great quality child care program.

But in the end parenting is up to the parent. You do what’s right for you, your child and your family. There is no one size fits all solution for child care or parenting in general. Part time child care near me is for some but not for others.

Make the best choice for your family. We wish you the best.