Con #4: Large Volume of Children
The amount of children in a child care centre is determined by the space and size of the rooms. Therefore, the total amount of children in the centre varies but ratios are always the same (3:1 infants, 5:1 toddlers, amd 8:1 preschool). When a centre holds 3 classes of each age group, the amount of children can be a little overwhelming for some children. My son was very overwhelmed by the 23 other preschool children that were sometimes on the playground at one time. He didn’t cry at daycare and seemed fine, but he would tell me he played by himself a lot or that others would take his toys but he was too afraid to tell them or tell a teacher. This is not necessarily the teachers fault- he seemed happy, he never complained, but it was very easy for him (a shy and sensitive child) to get lost in a large group. He did much better when I sent him to a smaller centre. Also, as mentioned above, with lots of children comes lots and lots and lots of germs. Especially in the winter months, it may seem like your child is constantly sick. If you are lucky, your child will just have colds but sometimes some pretty nasty bugs get passed around (Hand, foot and mouth, pink eye, gastrointestinal illnesses, etc.)
