Is your toddler ready to start daycare or preschool? How will you decide which play school is best for your little one? What would an ideal day look like for your child when you’re at work or they’re not in your care? It can be a tough decision deciding on the best place for your child and it can have an impact on your child’s future learning journey. 

In a recent online talk, OT and co-founder of Play Sense, Meg Faure, shared the top guidelines for choosing the right childcare for little ones between 2 and 5 years old. The early years expert explores why it is so important in the context of a child’s first 1001 days. Watch here

A child’s early years are critical for brain development and the formation of emotional and behavioural regulation skills. Meg touched on how the current education system is based on societal needs from over a hundred years ago and that what we teach our children now, will prepare them for their futures in a fast-paced, digital world. 

Meg went on to discuss the importance of developing soft skills that are much more important than memorizing information in the modern job market. These skills or core capacities include:

• collaboration
• self-regulation
• executive function
• mental flexibility, and
• creativity

Meg went onto to outline the top criteria or foundations for choosing the right childcare: 

1. Look for a school that practices play-based learning because it is through play that children develop the core capacities needed for future success.
2. Meg stressed the importance of a low child-teacher ratio to give each child the opportunity to develop their unique potential.
3. She explained that the quality of teacher has a profound impact on your child’s learning experience. She advises parents to look for nurturing teachers working in a supportive team when choosing a play school.
4. Meg went onto to recommended that parents to look for a school that prioritises the physical and emotional safety of your child. And how when a child feels safe, they are free to play, learn and explore – something that is hard to do if your child feels anxious in a big class environment with too few teachers. This is critical in developing not only self-regulation and emotional stability in early childhood education, but also language and gross motor development. 

Want to know more about how to choose the right play school for your child? Watch the webinar and hear it straight from the expert. Click on the video for the full webinar or find a Play Sense play school in your area and give your child the best start to learning.