Quality Matters Above All Else

When it comes to child care and early childhood education, quality is paramount. Seek out centers that prioritize excellence in every aspect of their program, ensuring your child receives the highest standard of care and education. Look for accreditations, qualified staff, and evidence of a stimulating learning environment. Quality child care sets the foundation for your child’s future success, so never compromise on this crucial aspect.

Kind and Encouraging Environment

Children thrive in environments where kindness and encouragement abound, positively shaping their social and emotional development. Choose a child care center where staff members prioritize empathy, compassion, and positive reinforcement, creating a nurturing environment where your child can flourish. At our early childhood center in Warsaw, we foster a culture of kindness where every child feels valued, supported, and encouraged to reach their fullest potential. Our nurturing atmosphere sets the stage for joyful learning and meaningful connections, ensuring your child’s holistic growth and well-being.

Consider the Preschool Programs

Preschool isn’t just a stepping stone to kindergarten — it’s the cornerstone of your child’s education. That’s why choosing the right preschool program matters. At Growing Kids Learning Center in Warsaw, we’re dedicated to providing families with top-tier preschool education. Our programs create a safe, nurturing environment where children thrive. Our passionate educators spark curiosity and foster a love for learning through hands-on experiences. We prioritize social, emotional, and cognitive development, helping children build essential skills while forming lasting friendships.

Expert Guidance and Support

Entrusting your child to a child care center means placing immense trust in the hands of educators and caregivers, who serve as partners in your child’s growth and learning journey. Choose a program that boasts a team of qualified, experienced professionals dedicated to your child’s well-being and development. Our teachers undergo ongoing training and are continually educated about best practices in early childhood education and development. With expert guidance and support, your child will flourish and thrive in our nurturing environment, paving the way for a lifetime of success.

Parental Involvement and Communication

Effective communication and parental involvement are integral components of a successful child care program. Look for centers that prioritize open, transparent communication channels and encourage parental involvement in their child’s learning journey. At Growing Kids Learning Center, we understand the importance of fostering strong partnerships between parents and educators. We provide regular updates on your child’s progress and offer an option to receive digital updates on your child’s day via the LifeCubby Family App®. By fostering a collaborative relationship with parents, we ensure that every child receives the individualized care and support they need to thrive.

In the vibrant community of Warsaw, Indiana, selecting the right child care program is a vital decision. At Growing Kids Learning Center, we’re honored to be your partners in nurturing and educating your child. Our preschool programs lay the foundation for your little one’s future success, fostering a love for learning and social connections. With our dedicated team and transparent communication channels, you can trust that your family is in the best hands. Together, let’s cultivate a bright future filled with joy, growth, and endless possibilities. Contact us today to learn more and discover firsthand why we’re the premier choice for child care and preschool programs in Warsaw.

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Milestone Reminder

It can be scary to see these milestones and think, “my child isn’t there yet.” In most cases, that’s completely normal. Milestones serve as a general guideline — if your child isn’t hitting them “on time” it doesn’t mean anything is wrong, or that they never will. Some kids take longer to talk, some take longer to walk, but they all tend to get to the same place eventually.

Of course, if you’re concerned, you can always talk to your child’s pediatrician or daycare teacher to see if they have any insights. Early interventions, while not always necessary, can make a huge difference. You can always help your child continue to grow in these skills at home, and enroll them in a daycare or educational program where they can continue working towards their kindergarten readiness. But the most important thing to remember with milestones is that they serve as an idea of where kids should be — they’re not written in stone.

With that in mind, take a look at some other things that your child should master or be working on by the time they get to kindergarten:

Social Play

This is one of those milestones that takes consistent practice and lots of time — in fact, many adults still need practice with positive social interactions! By the time your child gets to kindergarten, however, they should know about taking turns, sharing, and be able to have conversations with their peers and adults. Playing games, interacting with play groups, practicing safe play and learning to respect other people’s physical boundaries are all important things to work on before and during kindergarten. This can be a great reason to enroll your child in daycare — all of these social skills are consistently practiced and taught.

Independent Bathroom Use

It’s not uncommon for kids to have accidents. Especially in younger years, children might have seemingly mastered using the bathroom, and still have the occasional night time incident. For the most part, however, kids should be able to independently use the bathroom by the time they enter kindergarten. This means advocating for themselves and recognizing when it’s time to go, taking care of business, and washing hands when they’re done. If your child is still struggling with this, talk with their doctor for some additional advice, and communicate to their teacher what works best for your young one.

Number Fluency

Recognizing patterns — such as seeing two identical shapes that repeat in a sequence or even knowing that they brush their teeth and listen to a story before going to bed — are essential for kids to start picking up before kindergarten. Children should also be able to count to 10, as well as be able to identify the numbers (even when they’re written out of order).

Additionally, while pre-kindergartners don’t need to be able to tell time precisely yet, they should understand words like “soon,” “later,” “tomorrow,” “today,” and “yesterday,” to name a few.

Milestones can seem like a big responsibility for both parents and children, but with the proper guidance and support, children will thrive. Our daycare center utilizes a curriculum and lessons to specifically help the development and growth of each child, and we know that your entire family will love what we do at Growing Kids Learning Centers. With flexible scheduling and pick-up/drop-off times, experienced and compassionate caregivers, and nine convenient locations, there’s a reason why families in Northern Indiana choose our daycare program again and again. Help your child prepare for kindergarten — enroll them in educational daycare with Growing Kids Learning Centers!

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At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we are highly knowledgeable in child growth and development, and we formulate our curriculum, learning environments, and daily schedules to help each child continue to thrive. Enrolling in preschool at our South Bend (at Ireland Road, State Road 23, and North Bendix Drive), Elkhart, Valparaiso, Goshen, Bristol, or Chesterton locations is one of the best ways you can help your child continue to hit those milestones. Learn more in our blog, and place your child in Northern Indiana’s best preschool and educational childcare programs!

Language Comprehension

By the time a child enters kindergarten, they should be able to both respond to questions, as well as ask their own. It’s pretty typical for your toddler to repeat “Why?” about as frequently as they take a breath, though sometimes, kids might need a little bit more direction (such as saying “do you have any questions about _____?”). Kids at this age should also be able to speak clearly, though many preschool-aged children have some minor to moderate struggles with certain letters and sounds. If this is the case with your own child, talk with their pediatrician and see if any language interventions may be necessary.

Why It’s Important: Teachers judge a lot of understanding off of verbal communication, especially at an age where written concepts are still forming. If your child can’t communicate what they understand (or what they don’t), teachers may have a difficult time addressing their academic needs most appropriately.

Print Awareness

Children don’t need to necessarily know the entire alphabet by the time they enter kindergarten, but they do need to know at least some of the letters. Print awareness also includes holding a book the right way — children in preschool should have a general sense of line direction (we read from left to right), and know to turn the pages from the right to the left.

Why It’s Important: Even if your child isn’t reading at this point in time, they’re continuing to develop concepts to prepare them for the moment it clicks. It’s like how before playing sports, they need to know what the ball is and what it’s like.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are tough to grasp (literally), but are essential for entering the academic world and society as a whole. By the time your child enters kindergarten, they should be able to pick up a writing utensil (crayons work too!) and make marks on a piece of paper. Pouring something into a glass, practicing cutting with scissors, velcroing shoes, and painting with a paintbrush are all ways to help develop these skills.

Why It’s Important: These days, knowing how to type, hold a pencil, and use an iPad or other touch screen are all necessary skills for people to know, all of which require fine motor development.

We’ll continue with some more milestones in our next blog, but in the meantime, know that the preschool programs at Growing Kids Learning Centers are designed to help your child thrive. Preschool is the most important grade, and so much of this is because it helps children get on track for the rest of their school years (and life) to come. Enroll with Growing Kids Learning Centers today!

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But why exactly is preschool the most important grade? We’ve discussed how preschool is incredibly beneficial for your child, but today, we’re going to discuss why this is the grade that is most essential to success — both academic and as a whole. Find out more, and enroll your child in preschool with Growing Kids Learning Centers in South Bend (at Ireland Road, State Road 23, and North Bendix Drive), Elkhart, Valparaiso, Goshen, Bristol, or Chesterton!

Sets the Tone for Academic Success

Learning and hitting essential academic milestones, particularly in the math and literacy departments, are thought to be huge indicators for later academic success. In one study, it showed “that preschool boosts a child’s chances of doing well at school and going on to take advanced level examinations,” as reported by The Guardian. This, in turn, contributes to the direct correlation between children going to preschool who later go to college. Simply put, an early academic start helps children be prepared sooner, and play less time catching up.

Reverses the Effects of Poverty

From the University of Wisconsin – Madison, a study on poverty and childhood was conducted with some incredible results. Poverty has known to be detrimental not only to the state of a child’s life, but to their actual development and growth as a whole. Children born into poverty have a lower chance of being academically successful — which is especially problematic when about half of all public school children are living in poverty.

One of the biggest things that can change and reduce the negative effects of poverty is early childhood education. With early interventions, children can be caught up to speed with their peers of more advantageous backgrounds. Some of the main resources to help a child grow — books, educational activities and games, and a well-balanced diet — are difficult to invest in when the main priority is keeping everyone alive. Preschool offers all of these things, where families might otherwise not be able to provide these things.

A Positive Long-Term Outlook

Here are just a few of the things that preschool is believed to have an impact on:

• Grade retention — fewer occurrences when children have gone to preschool.
• Special ed. — fewer placements among children who attended preschool.
• Graduation rates — higher rates of graduation for children who went to preschool.
• Crime and delinquency — it’s true: preschool is thought to lower crime rates.

While every grade is important, preschool is truly at the foundation of education, contributing to some of the greatest examples of later success. Not only is it instrumental in helping a child prepare for school, it gets them on track for the years to come. This means leading all the way up to and through college, as well as setting children up for success in life as a whole.

Growing Kids Learning Centers has an incredible curriculum at each of our preschools, implemented to help each child thrive — both in their time with us, and for the time after. With locations all across Northern Indiana, it’s never been easier for your child to have the positive educational experience that will truly shape their life. Enroll your child today for the upcoming school year before space fills up! We can’t wait to start the school year with you!

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