Why Choose a 5 Day Early Childhood Program?

Choosing an early childhood program for your child can seem daunting and amongst those decisions is how many days to enroll. If your work schedule doesn’t require 5 days, why would you want to sign up for a full week program? Turns out there are some very good reasons:

1. 5 Days offers maximum COVID-19 safety. Programs that encourage a five day a week program are doing so to minimize exposure to their students, their families, and their teachers. Compare a classroom with a capacity of 10 children attending 5 days a week, to one with children attending 2, 3, 4 or 5 days. Your child may be sharing space with either 10 children or, over the course of week, as many as 20 children. While COVID-19 remains a concern, 5 days is the safest choice!
2. Consistency of care offers the best possible bonding experience between the teacher, child and parents. Building a trusting, warm bond between your child and their teachers is vital to early childhood development.  More consistent days means less difficult drop offs, close communication between parents and the classroom team, and the opportunity for the teacher to get to know your child and their development very well. It also means your child will always have the same group of friends with them, no worries about who comes on what days. Parents of children in a 5-day program can build stronger relationships with other parents who share this same schedule. And no one misses out on an outside playdate as all are enrolled 5-days a week.
3. Professional teachers value having the children attend more days. Five-day schedules not only allow teachers to build the best relationship with the child and their family, but it ensures they can offer the best data on their continuing progress on developmental goals. Planning curriculum is also richer as they can build upon skills day-to-day rather than needing to plan activities to repeat throughout the week to meet all children’s different schedules. Highly qualified teachers prefer to work in a school where families attend on a 5 day schedule. When the best teachers choose to work at a program, a required 5-day schedule can be a deciding factor!
4. Peace-of-mind for Parents. While a family may not need 5-day care to start, work and home schedules often change. A five-day program ensures that you are covered for whatever comes your way. You know your child always has a place each and every day, no matter what you need to take care of!

If you have a choice, a 5 day a week program can offer solid benefits to you and your child the best possible option. Thinking about a dedicated 5-day a week program? Consider the Westwood Children’s School. Our licensed, NAEYC-accredited full-year, full-day classrooms for infants up to Preschool could be the perfect fit for you and your family. Contact Linda Byrne at 781-329-7766 for more information.