HAVING a child is considered by many as blessing and completes the bond of every family. Raising a child on the other hand is a different story especially if both parents are working. During the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the services of stay-in “yayas” have become a norm for mostly young family. The basic responsibilities of these individuals are to oversee our children while we are at work. As this practice has become more and more acceptable, reports of child abuses inflicted by nannies began to show up on evening news and local dailies. Suddenly, hiring someone to take care of our child felt like a mountain of a task.
Since children below 5 years old need to be taken care of and supervised at all times as their brain activity and their social skills are active, they should be guided as early as these critical stages. It is highly recommended by UNICEF Philippines and our government to give these young ones proper supervision. UNICEF said, “Socioemotional skills are a child’s ability to understand the feelings of others, control his or her own feelings and behaviors, get along well with other children, and build relationships with adults Moreover, those who have higher socioemotional skills have higher early literacy and numeracy skills.”
In the Philippines, while preschool for 3 to 4 years old is not mandatory, this group of children should be attending preschool so as not to miss critical periods of development in the early years. This is followed by mandatory kindergarten at 5 years old before they enter Grade 1 the following school year. Preschool can come in various forms such as day care centers, supervised neighborhood play programs, and home-based early education.” Moreover, according to PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1567 on ESTABLISHING A DAY CARE CENTER IN EVERY BARANGAY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS: pre-school children with ages ranging from 0-6 years are the most vulnerable to the ill-effects of malnutrition and lack of social and mental stimulation; the government has exerted relentless effort to combat malnutrition by organizing day care centers and supplemental feeding units to promote the social and mental development of pre-schoolers in support to the nationwide nutrition program.”
Kagay-anon parents are very fortunate since there are Day Care Centers in almost every barangay of our city that can assist our working parents in supplementing their child development. According to UNICEF Philippines, “there are five reasons why children must attend preschool:
1. Stimulates brain development — Learning and play activities in preschool stimulates young children’s brains and contributes to their intellectual, social, and emotional development.
2. Improves social skills — Preschool provides a venue for young children to learn how to interact and work with other children, as well as adults. Learning group dynamics at an early age helps improve children’s social skills.
3. Sets the foundation for lifelong learning — Learning and play activities in preschool encourages children’s natural curiosity to explore, develops their creativity and provides a positive learning experience for them. As a result, children are more eager to learn.
4. Prepares children for kindergarten and elementary school — Because children who attend preschool are more eager to learn and are able to handle social interactions and group dynamics, they are less likely to drop out of elementary school.
5. Helps break the cycle of poverty for disadvantaged children — Children who attend preschool are more likely to continue and finish elementary school, learn better, and can earn more as adults. Taking advantage of a crucial phase of the development of the child’s brain can improve the lives of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.”
Here in our city, there are a lot of public and private day care centers in different barangays that offers various services in every age group. One of the newest centers in Cagayan de Oro is South Rock Day Care Center located at Barangay Nazareth. According to managing supervisor Ms. Mikaela Gab Briones, “It’s always a fun time during our preschool skills class. Kids get to learn and have fun at its best. It is giving the child the freedom and time to play and learn.”
Since we need a safe place for our children, it is wise to visit some of these day care centers and try their services instead of being bothered of having our child be left behind with hired nanny whom do not have the professional background on child rearing.
Ajah to daycare centers! Headache no more!