Family day care vs long day care: Which is better for your family?

When the time arrives for you to choose a child care option for your little one, every factor must be considered. It’s one of the most important decisions you can make for your child in their early life as it can impact the skills, life lessons and education that they receive. In Australia, we have two main options for child care: family day care and long day care centres. Each has its advantages and suitability, it’s up to you to determine which option fits better for your little one and your family.

When choosing between family day care and long day care, you may be tempted to only make a decision according to your child’s needs and wants. However, it is important to also take into consideration practical factors such as affordability, timing and facilities. When pondering your decision, you may wonder why it’s even necessary to send your child to a daycare centre. After all, you get to spend more time with your child and save money, so why send your child away? The benefits of any type of child care centre are numerous; they positively impact your child’ social, mental and cognitive well-being. At Young Academics, all of our programs in each year group are geared towards the optimal development of the following advantages.

• Improved social skills among children in their age-group
• Increased independence
• Encouraged vocalisation
• Boosted cognitive development
• Smoother transition to school

In order to clearly understand the advantages of family and long day care, we’ve broken down the benefits of each. Use this as a guide when deciding between each type of child care.

Long day care centre

Long daycare is centre-based child care that is provided by professional staff members. They are usually able to care for babies and children up to school starting age. Depending on the daycare, you may be able to choose either part-time or full-time care for your child. This type of care can be either community, workplace or business centred. Here are some of the advantages of this type of care.

• Consistent form of care – Depending on the hours of the daycare, you can feel confident that your child’s long day care will always be open, regardless of if one of the carers is sick or not. This is perfect for a family with two working parents who depend on the strong reliability of child care centres.
• Structured program and activities – Long day child care centres provide comprehensive programs and activities for children which ultimately lead to routined days. You’ll be certain of what your child is learning and when. It’s a great option for parents interested in ensuring that their child leads a smooth transition into school.
• Licensed and professional staff – The minimum qualification to be a childcare worker is the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. You are guaranteed to have your child looked after by someone who has acquired this certificate. With a minimal training requirement, your child is guaranteed to experience a more informed and progressive way of learning.
• Exposure to diversity – With more peers around, children are able to experience interaction with children from different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures. This improves their language and social skills and lends to more holistic development.

Family day care

Family day care is a home-based early childhood education and care service. It caters for children from six weeks to 12 years old and is the only service approved to offer 24/7 child care. Here are some of the advantages of sending your child to a family day care.

• Flexible hours – Family day care is the only care service approved for 24/7 child care. This is suitable for parents who work in shifts or travel for work and require child care service outside of conventional working hours.
• Transportation – Many family day cares offer transportation to and from their day care. For parents with a lack of transportation options and who are unavailable to pick their child up at the required hour, this is an accommodating option.
• Small groups – Educators are only able to work with small groups of children at any given time (no more than four children below school-age). This guarantees that your child will be given special attention by the educator. It is a great option for parents with special needs children who require additional time and care.

At Young Academics, we strive to provide a holistic environment for learning and development for your child. Our licensed and professional staff are dedicated to ensuring that your little one is provided with the best education and experience. For more information about our centre. Contact us today on 1300 668 993.

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