It can help get kids ready for school.

Daycare is the perfect place to spark a love of learning. With plenty of activities and learning opportunities, even our youngest daycare attendees have a chance to start exploring the world around them and seeking out opportunities where learning is fun.

There are more socialization opportunities.

Kids who attend daycare have a chance to socialize with children both older and younger than them. This can help them learn more about sharing, working with others, and how to make friends. Those are skills they’ll use their whole lives!

It can be good for a child’s mental health.

Some studies suggest that attending daycare can be good for a child’s mental health. That’s because a daycare provides a stable, safe environment with routine and structure. That can help kids who might not find that environment at home develop much-needed stability for later in life.

They have fewer colds later in life.

Being exposed to germs can be a good thing! It helps your child build up immunity to illnesses later on. Children who attend daycare and pass around those germs at a young age are less likely to battle them later on.

Kids learn structure and routine.

Daycare can be a place where kids learn about routine and structure to their daily lives, something that will be important both in their school lives and their career later on.

Want your child to experience the benefits of daycare for themselves? Sign up with Growing Kids today!

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As a child continues to grow cognitively, creativity is immensely strong within children ages 3-6. This is a prime time to develop the structure for creative thoughts and thinking processes that can be utilized throughout their lives, both in and outside of school. Inspiring creative development can help with critical thinking, an essential and empowering skill for children to acquire. It also helps with problem solving, a stimulating and creative process that is crucial to early childhood development. Children are naturally curious, and Growing Kids likes to feed their creative side.

At Growing Kids, we teach our preschoolers and kindergartens the fundamentals of math, writing and reading to help provide a strong foundation for their future educational endeavors. We also work to stimulate all areas of development, which includes creative interactions. This is showcased in our “Main Street” center at the heart of all of our educational centers. The Main Street allows for children to engage with each other to create social relationships, as well as foster creative thoughts. This offers children the opportunity to play, pretend, create, socialize and problem-solve. This sticks to our core values of allowing students to learn on through hands-on experiences, something that the “Main Street” can provide for your child.
Growing Kids Learning Centers believes in inspiring creativity for preschoolers, and have modeled our programs to foster a creative atmosphere for our students. Contact us today to learn more!

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The Most Recommended Ways To Get Your Kiddo Excited About Preschool

1. Enroll your child in extracurricular activities. One way to get your kiddo excited is to enroll them in an after school program. We have programs at The Growing Kids Learning Center here in Goshen, but we also recommend signing your child up for a sport! Kids love playing soccer, T-ball or gymnastics. If they’re not into sports, you can look into science adventure clubs in our community. There are plenty of activities your kiddo would love to do. This way, they will look forward to their sports or club after the school day is over!
2. Show why preschool is relevant to them now. They may be a little young, but it’s never too soon to start prepping your kiddo for the “real world.” Encourage your child that they need to learn many different things that they’ll use when they’re grown-up!
3. Always compliment and encourage your child. Your child won’t be excited for preschool if you’re not excited for them. Make sure you’re encouraging them day in and day out about preschool and what they’ll learn that day!

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The Most Recommended Ways To Get Your Kiddo Excited About Preschool

1. Create learning opportunities outside of school! Although school is a great source to learn, it’s important that your child is being challenged outside of the classroom as well. Go ahead and teach your child how to bake their favorite type of cookie. Doing so is the perfect chance to incorporate some easy math. Plus, it helps to increase your child’s chances of desiring to learn more in the future.
2. Set fun goals. Whether your kiddo doesn’t like to study their ABC’s, it’s important for them to learn that studying is important. So, you could set a goal of studying for 10 minutes a night until they have the alphabet completely memorized, or make it a little easier and teach your kiddo how to count to 20 and study that instead.

Learn more and contact us!

Regardless of your child’s age or what grade he or she is in, it’s important to get them excited about school, whether that’s preschool or 2nd grade. To learn more, stay tuned for our next blog and don’t forget to enroll your kiddo into our amazing program here in Elkhart!

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1. Know the teaching staff.- There are so many schools that you could enroll your child into, but if the teaching staff is no good, you’re child won’t be successful.
2. The school’s director.- The staff is only as great as the school’s director. If the director isn’t very good, chances are the teachers won’t be either.
3. Communication skills.- Does the school you’re looking at have good system for communication? Keep in mind that the staff members at your child’s school should also be approachable. Not just for your benefit, but your child’s benefit as well.  
4. Does the school have a phase-in policy?- Separation guidelines are important. You need to know when or if you can come linger outside of a classroom to watch your child learn.
5. Ongoing development for your child.- Where do you see your child in 5 years? What do you want to have them accomplish. If you are looking for a school that keeps this into consideration, Growing Kids Learning Center is for you.

Go ahead and visit us online today and schedule a time to meet with us here in South Bend! We would love to show you around and tell you what we’re all about!

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Activities including art fairs, picnics, drama, team games, kite flying, messy art days, swimming, field trips, bowling, soccer, “Main Street” play, exercise, ooey-gooey day, pizza making, reading, puzzles, baking cookies and hiking are many (but not all) of the activities that your child will get to experience when you enroll them in Growing Kids Spring Camp in South Bend. We will also provide your kiddo with a healthy and filling breakfast and lunch with snacks in between meals.

These activities are great for kids to make new friends and bond with friends they already have. They will be able to discover new things everyday and get out of their shell in a comforting and safe environment. No matter if this is your child’s first, second or third time registering, we highly recommend that you do so sooner than later.

We welcome any school-aged children both currently enrolled in our Growing Kids school program and new-comers. Children who are not enrolled in classes may sign-up for Growing Kids Spring Camp in South Bend starting February 8, 2016. Note: all after school students are required to sign up. To register your kid(s), please call 574-220-6400.

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Communicate with your kiddo.

Talking to your child is essential. If you’re not communicated much to your child, they’ll be lost on their first day of preschool. Prepare your child by telling him or her what to expect. It’s also a great way of making sure ask him or her how his or her first day of preschool was, what they thought and so on. It’s important to tell your child that you wish that you could be there with him or her while he or she experiences all these new things in life. So, instead of being there, ask him or her for a report on what his or her favorite part of their day was, what made him or her laugh and what surprised him or her. It’s okay to be silly with your kiddo! Make him or her feel better if he or she is anxious.

Don’t go anywhere just yet! Stay tuned for ways that you, as a parent, can get involved with our preschool, Growing Kids Learning Center. If you have any questions or concerns about the first day of preschool, please don’t hesitate to give us a call! We’re happy to address any concerns you may have.

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Take a field trip!

Take your child on a field trip to their early childhood education center. Take a field trip to the school and show your little one where they’re going to be spending a lot of their days. Explain to them how their day will go, where they will put their backpack, lunch, etc. It’s good to get them as familiar as you can with their new school. Getting a tour of the school is one of the best ways to make sure your child is okay with their new daily routine.

Be early to drop off your child.

You don’t want to be in a rush when you drop of your child at preschool, so make sure you’re a few minutes early. This way you will allow some extra one on one time with their teacher and some extra time to get acquainted for the day while it’s still quite and calm in the classroom.

Don’t go anywhere just yet! We have more great tips to help you introduce preschool in your child’s life in Elkhart. Enroll your child today!

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Preschool can be a scary thing for a kid. Can you remember your first day of preschool? Many of us were terrified to let go of our parent’s hand, which makes us weary of what’s to come when we bring our own children to preschool for the very first time in Elkhart. To make the transition to preschool easier, we started creating a list of tips on how you can make dropping your child off at preschool less stressful. Previously, we mentioned that you should provide your child with expectations, make sure they’re getting enough food and sleep and plan for school the night before. Here are more ways to prepare your child for preschool:

Stay on schedule.

Children love schedules. If you have a set schedule in place, and you follow it, your child will most likely wake up for preschool and go to bed without a problem. Also, if school is making your child get up earlier than they’re used to, you may want to think about adjusting their bedtime schedule.

Keep your feelings in check while dropping your child off.

It can be a difficult experience to drop your child off at school the very first time. It’s good to understand that your child is growing up, but if you are sad and worried, those feelings will only translate to your child. So send out the good vibes to your child, and keep your feelings in check as much as possible.

Visualize their day!

Tell your child how their first day will go! Just like setting expectations of what their behavior should be like in school, you should give them a plan of what to expect, including activities, like when lunch time will be and when you’ll arrive back to pick them up.

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Give your child expectations.

It’s hard for a child to be on their best behavior when they aren’t sure what to expect. Be sure that you connect with your child and tell them what to expect on their first day of preschool. Tell them about waiting in line, raising their hand and other social concepts they are likely to encounter.

Pay attention to your child’s body.

Children should be getting sufficient sleep, protein and water throughout the course of the day. Be sure you’re paying attention to how much sleep they’re getting, especially on school nights, because this can affect them the next day.

Plan for school the night before.

It’s always easier and less stressful if you’re not in a rush in the morning before you head out to drop your child off at preschool. Rather than rushing, make sure you pack their lunch for the next day, and even have them help you. Make sure they’re involved with packing lunches and picking out what they want to wear the next day! This will lead to smoother mornings and a happy child!

Want to learn more great tips for your child’s first day of preschool? Stay tuned for our next blog. Contact us online today to enroll your child in our Goshen preschool program!

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