Chapter 9 – Community Life

An important experience for the emotional and social development of children is community life: attending a good daycare and preschool has very positive effects on their psycho-physical development. However, starting daycare can initially be a very stressful event for the youngest children (30), as they must overcome the challenge of separation anxiety. It’s quite normal for children to resist and sometimes break down in desperate crying fits: this is a sign of the quality of their attachment to their primary caregivers. Generally, however, within a few days or at most a few weeks, children form attachment bonds with the caregivers at the daycare and, under their guidance, become visibly more relaxed and confident in their abilities. They open up to relationships and become more willing to collaborate.

The adaptation period—meaning the gradual entry into daycare, with increasingly longer stays—helps them cope with the temporary separation from mom and dad in a less traumatic way. The time required depends on the child’s temperament, the caregivers’ skills, and the parents’ calmness, as they must build a trusting relationship with the staff and convey that sense of security to their child.