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The Ideal Child-Care Setting for a 6-Month Old.
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The Ideal Child-Care Setting for a 6-Month Old.
Introduction.
Research of child development proves that experiences with other people mold the mind and personality of an infant. Consequently, caregiving is a central part of the development of a child. Whether the caregiver is a parent, extended family member or child care center teacher, they must possess the ability to nature the infant in the best way possible. From the latter reasoning, one can see that it is important to look for a good child care setting for a 6-month old baby as child care has a direct impact on the baby. It affects the baby’s ability to build a healthy relationship, to learn and become the best he/she can be. This topic cuts to the heart of conceit of parental responsibilities and roles. Parents seeking a balance between being able to provide economic resources to their families and affording nurturance for their kids face difficult choices. Should they forego their income to take care of the baby? Should they organize their job such that each parent can work and provide nurturing for the toddler without affecting the other? These are a few questions that these parents face. Nevertheless, both share a concern for their children’s wellbeing. This paper will define in detail the components that make up an excellent childcare setting for a 6-month old baby.
Physical setting
The physical environment of a child care facility is a vital aspect that any parent should consider when looking for the most appropriate children’s home for their 6-month old toddler.

An excellent day care facility ought to be sanitary and clean. The floors, walls, walks, and the kitchen area ought to be clean. The places where food is being prepared should be a substantial distance away from the diaper changing stations and toilets; Trash should not be left unemptied, and the buildings should be well heated, ventilated, and lit. Staff should regularly wash their hands, and after a diaper change. The facility should also have a lot of space. According to research by NAEYC, these centers should have at least 36 square feet indoor space per toddler and at least 80 square feet per toddler outside (Iyiegbuniwe, 2009). The center should also conform to the basic rules of safety. Play equipment such as toys should be in good condition, windows that are located in top floors should have bars or screens, and all types of hazardous substances such as medicine should be put out of reach of children. Moreover, the beddings should be firm and fresh, and outdoor play should be secure and level.
Personnel qualifications
Qualified, trained staff is a major advantage that day-care centers might have over home daycare and nannies, which do not always have a specialized education. The employees in a daycare center should be well educated, with over two years of college and a background in matters of early childhood development. They should also have some training in emergency training such as CPR. In some states, these qualifications are mandatory and day care centers are required to have a license to show that they are trained in pediatric first aid, CPR, and early childhood education. The caregivers should be enthusiastic, responsible, and well prepared. Since some people’s philosophies on discipline, feeding, sleep and other issues are different, a parent should look for caregivers who share the same opinions as them. Good caregivers will also inquire about the child’s health to determine if the day care facility is appropriate for the parent. Lastly, the day care facility should have an adequate number of nurses to ensure that every child gets the needed attention.
Health, safety, and nutrition
Day care centers should also have the best health, safety and nutrition standards. They should also have all the licenses for the latter mentioned concerns. With regards to health, the employees of the day care facility should be able to care for all the health care needs of the 6-month old child. During enrollment, the health care facility ought to ask the parent if their child has any special medical needs and confirm if they can handle it to the best of their ability. A good day care center is, therefore, about the parent; a parent might opt to take their child to a particular facility on account of the fact that they are the most qualified to handle their child’s health care need. With regards to safety, a proper medical facility should be baby proofed. Consequently, the child can be safe when moving around the day care center. Finally, with regards to nutrition, a suitable health care facility should feed the kids with nutritious and healthy food. The facilities should restrict sweets and other unhealthy foods (Worobey, Rozo & Worobey, 2013).
Mental, emotional, and cognitive stimulation
Stimulation of kids in the early stages of their development forms the personality and character for the future. The reason behind thus is that during infancy to the age of around three years old, a child’s brain cells form quick connections and link to other brain cells, which assist in the cognitive development of the young child (Iyiegbuniwe, 2009). At this development age, a brain cell can connect to around 14,000 other brain cells to form patterns of behavior of a child. Weak stimulation leads to the brain cells creating inadequate connections thus reduced the development of the brain of the child. In turn, cognitive development is hampered. Consequently, a good daycare center should be able to offer real mental, emotional and cognitive stimulation to the kid to ensure that a positive stimulus is provided to the child for the best character development.
Cost
The cost of a day care center is an important aspect when considering the best facility for your infant. The day care center should offer both quality and value for money. As much as a parent might want the best for their kids, it would be unreasonable for a parent to spend more than a half of their salary on a day care center for their 6-month old child. Therefore, a day care should be within the parent’s financial capability and should not be extravagant or charge high fees while offering the same quality of service like other day cares. An exception would be with kids on special needs whereby the child would need more attention and facilities, and the parent might be forced to pay more for these services. Either way, the services offered should provide value for money.
Proximity
Finally, proximity is a paramount factor when considering the day care to place your 6-month child in. Accessing a child care facility that is in proximity to work or home is a challenge for many parents, especially those who depend on public transport or are reliant on subsidized child care facilities. A day care facility should not be so far away but should be as close as possible to where you live. A proximity would provide advantages such as it would be more convenient for the parent to drop and pick their toddler from the day care facility. Another advantage is that in the case of any emergency, the parent can quickly go to the day care facility and take care of the infant’s needs. Moreover, when the facility is not conveniently located, parents are forced to spend more times in their vehicles and increase the number of miles driven. This becomes uneconomical and contributes to more greenhouse emissions and traffic congestions. Parents also spend less of their time physically active or being an active member of the family or community. A survey by the National Household Travel Study discovered that kids average a total of sixty minutes a day in vehicles (Smith, 2014). From the latter reasons, one can clearly see that it is important for a day care center to be located in proximity to the house or work to curb these challenges and problems.
Conclusion.
Among the first and most vital personal decision that guardians have to make is when, where, and whether to go and seek child care for their infant baby. As illustrated in this paper, physical setting, cost, proximity, health, safety, nutrition among other factors mentioned above plays a significant role in deciding on an ideal child-care setting. All in all, a parent or guardian needs to consider all these factors when choosing an ideal child-care setting for a 6-month old.

References.
Iyiegbuniwe, E. (2009). 228. A Study of Indoor Environmental Quality in a South Central Kentucky Child Care Facility. AIHce 2006.
Smith, R. (2014). Child care facilities. Facilities, 21-22.
Worobey, H., Rozo, E., & Worobey, J. (2013). Effectiveness of a Day Care Experience in Promoting Food Tasting, Healthy Food Choices, and Activity Levels. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.