If there's one thing a working mother dreads more than anything else, it is the thought of leaving her little one with someone while she's at work for eight hours, or more.
She often feels guilty about leaving her child in daycare and going to work. This is especially difficult for those returning to work after a hiatus, because they are worried about their child's safety and well-being. There's nothing they'd like better than to keep an eye on their child and be the one to look after them, but that's not always possible when it is necessary to go to work.
When I decided to resume work, I was lucky to have my Mother living with us. It was the same for my Mom, a single mother who was relieved to leave me at home with her Mother. Not all families have that luxury of having a grandparent they can trust to look after their little one.
In most families where there are children who are yet to start school, and the mothers have to return to work, access to daycare is a real requirement. For single and divorced mothers who cannot avoid going to work, the guilt factor is quite high. Having a reliable daycare facility to look after their children is a boon in these situations.
Many of my friends are in the situation where they work fixed schedules and have to commute hours both ways to work and have struggled to find a daycare facility located close to their place of work or where they live.
Crucial worry-points about a daycare facility, once they shortlisted the most suitable ones, usually centered around the following questions:
- Will they feed my child hygienic healthy food?
- Will my child's naptime be taken care of?
- Will they take care of her needs?
- Will they be kind to her?
- Will she receive enough attention?
- Do they have trained staff?
- Are they expensive? Can I afford it?
- Is it worth it?
- Can I call anytime I want to check on my child?
- Do they use technology / have an app?
The questions are endless.
Today, the fact that most families have both parents working, there is an increasing need for technology led daycare, a place they can trust and leave their child, confident in the knowledge that their child is safe and happy.
I recall when I had to return to work and I enrolled my son in a playschool-cum-daycare at the age of 2.5 years fifteen years ago, I went through all kinds of tension, overthinking about how he would adjust. As it turned out, it was the best decision I made.
It was a well-run facility and I can personally endorse the following benefits:
- A happier child - most important
- Well-adjusted emotionally and socially
- Lots of age-appropriate activities
- Learning life skills - I know that is a big phrase to use for a toddler, but it is true. They learn to share, be kind to others and patience. They also learn to be better team-players
For me? Less stress. So much so, when I went to pick him up on the way back from work, he would want to play just a little longer.
The only thing missing was technology.
Today's daycare facilities seem to have that covered, quite successfully. For example, the Delhi-based Footprints is changing the face of daycare in India. Parents want their child to be safe and healthy, besides being reassured that they're eating and sleeping well. With special focus on children's safety and security, they have CCTVs in every classroom, and parents can stream live videos via a mobile app, which gives them real time updates of what and how much their child ate, slept and played. Footprints also offers the world's best infants and toddlers curriculum, HighScope. A healthy mind is as important as a healthy body.
At the end of the day, working parents, especially Moms just want to make sure their little ones are happy and healthy and daycare facilities like Footprints are making it happen.
