Advantages of a crèche

Many parents are faced with the question of when and whether their child should be placed in care. Is a state or private institution the right one then? Of course, this often depends on the parents’ professional and financial situation. In most cases, a place in a crèche is applied for during the first weeks of pregnancy, because good quality crèches in particular are not available in abundance. Parents are also partly motivated by the fear that they will not be able to return to their old jobs quickly enough.

At the same time, there is a growing fear among some parents that their child is still too young to be left in a crèche. A lot of prejudices and opinions are raining down on parents at this time and can sometimes be more unsettling than useful. The pros and cons of early childcare in a private crèche or daycare centre are often discussed very controversially – even by non-parents. In this guide, we would like to discuss the many advantages of our private nursery and explain why early childhood care has a positive effect on your child. But ultimately, please make up your own mind and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of outside childcare for your child.

Educators are experts

The caregivers at cocon day nurseries are experts in their field. Only trained and educated pedagogues who take their educational mission very seriously work at cocon day nurseries. The most important thing here is the trust of the parents. For this reason, a lot of time is devoted to modules such as “working together with parents” during the studies and training. Here, educators learn to perceive and accept the individual resources, likes and dislikes of parents. Mums and dads know their own child best, which is why the trained staff in nurseries will never be indifferent to what parents have to say about their child’s upbringing.

At our cocon day care centre, for example, we attach great importance to having fewer children and more teachers in the groups than is generally the case. This way, we can ensure that there is plenty of time for each individual child and that needs can be addressed well. Our child-oriented activities in the small groups take place under the guidance of experts and enable individual support for each child.

Crèche as a substitute for large families

100 years ago, it was still normal for a child to grow up with seven siblings, to have cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents in the house or at least close by. The expression “It takes a village to raise a child” is certainly familiar to many. And that’s how it is – it usually doesn’t work without help. Since nowadays this extended family construct often no longer exists, crèches are the substitute for it. In crèches, the sense of community is fostered in a family atmosphere just as it used to be in extended families, which is certainly not a disadvantage. Children learn there from an early age to recognise their own “I” and understand through being together in groups what it means to be part of a “WE”, a community. Children learn from and with children, achieve more together, learn a lot from the grown-ups and are firmly integrated into groups from an early age and learn to know and appreciate fixed rituals and processes. Cocon is a reliable educational partner and attaches great importance to open and transparent communication about the child’s development.

Our cocon children start the day with recurring routines within their small group. For example, children and teachers always meet at the morning circle, greet each other there and talk about what they have experienced and what the children want to plan together for the day. It is very important to us to give each child the attention they deserve from the very beginning. Especially for the little ones, the common start into the day is a firm stability and a valuable ritual. The togetherness is playfully celebrated with little verses and songs. Repetitions in the daily educational routine give children a secure framework and support them in their maturation process.

Parents often tell us how their own children imitate and play such rituals at home with their cuddly toys and parents.

Advantages for personal development

Children who are placed in childcare before the age of three do better in the school entrance examination, according to a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation. Especially in language skills, numeracy and fine and gross motor skills.

Through special projects such as “Fäustlinge”, which is offered at cocon Kita and is specifically aimed at the needs of toddlers, children learn early on to strengthen their own self-esteem and how non-violent communication works. The prevention programme promotes those competencies of children that are needed to deal with conflicts constructively. Especially from a psychological point of view, it makes sense to start with this topic preventively in the early years in order to avoid potential violence in later years.

With outings, an awareness of one’s own surroundings and environment is created in a crèche at an early age. Children learn how to recognise dangerous situations and, above all, how to deal with them. Exercise and rest sessions also promote health education.

Childminder vs. day care place

Many people are faced with the decision “childminder or crèche”? Of course, a childminder also has legitimate advantages, but the crèche offers more security in some respects. For one thing, parents can rely on sophisticated protection concepts and internal monitoring mechanisms at a day nursery. This means that the crèche is not left to its own devices, as is the case with a nanny or a private person. In addition, a crèche offers far more flexibility for working parents because the care does not depend on a single person. In case of illness, for example, there are still enough educators to cover the absence. A crèche also offers much more space and room for the children to play. Whether indoors or outdoors, having their own gardens allows children to spend even more time in nature.

Further advantages at cocon day care centres

Our concept at cocon day care centres is modern and adapted to social change. In our day care centre, bilingual education is promoted at an early age through the immersion principle. In this way, children learn a foreign language in a very natural way, especially in our case this is French and English. Bilingual early education in the nursery offers many advantages to predominantly monolingual families, as they are not able to educate their child in several languages.

In addition, at cocon we pay attention to a healthy and varied diet. We achieve this with our regional fresh cuisine and high quality organic products. This means a balanced diet for the little ones right from the start – with the highest quality.

A special advantage is our concept for breastfeeding mothers. We don’t want mothers to feel pressured to wean the child off breastfeeding at the same time, just in time for the start of the daycare settling-in period.

Through the expertise of our art teacher, we also provide age-appropriate music and art education, which promotes creative and intellectual development.

In summary, these are the special advantages for our crèche children: