@arjw that's my Finglish at work again (the Finnish word I was looking for the English counterpart to is 'tarha'. It's a general noun for 'daycare'). What's the correct term for a daycare for smaller kids?
Yes, I've been thinking the same. Kindergarden comes only after preschool, but what's before preschool? I think this particular one is called "Children's center". All kids seem to have a different nationality.
I can tell you teh first two days are going to be cool, it's all interesting and new. Then you get to th epoint where he starts crying before you even get to the place. And he'll cry, mustering all his heartbreak virtuosity and big old ball-bearing size tears until he's sure you've left and are crushed under the guilt of abandoning your child. That's when he'll maybe start playing with the other kids...
After a couple of weeks of this, things calm down. I hear. We're still at the emotional blackmail stage.
@tolonen: my experience is totally different. My now 14-month old girl loves going to day care and always has. She's also happy to see us pick her up, though. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is fairly normal to start with day care from about three months old in the Netherlands.
3 years seems to be the average here in Finland, so our son is the youngest in his group. Luckily, his cousin Alma is in the same group, so it's not like being tossed into black hole:-)
Right. From what I've heard from the people at the day care, it gets harder for kids to get used to going to day care the older they are at the start. I didn't know there was such a large difference between countries.
Yea, I imagined it to be so, too, so I figure it's better to get this phase over with now, because I certainly don't want to be dealing with it when Aamos goes to school:-)
I'll make a stone of my heart three mornings a week.
Out of curiosity, does that mean that one of the parents usually stays at home to take care of the kid(s) full time in the first three years in Finland?
In the netherlands, day care is from 0-4, and then basic education starts, which is 2 years of kindergarden and then on to real schooling (reading, writing, math, that stuff)
@ralphm Yes, the first nine months the mom is paid full-time to do it. Then you get home care assistance from the government, the amount being variable based on the living expenses in your region. It's not a lot, but if one parent has a good-paying job, it's doable. Grandparents are a good, oft-used resource. I'm sure there are loads of different ways of handling the situation.
With us, my wife stayed on leave for 9 months and then I stayed home full-time for a year, but ran my company/freelance stuff on the side (at night).
Basic education is mandatory from age 4, by the way. Actually, we have a good social system that refunds the largest part of the day care bill, encouraging people to have (partial) jobs.
Basic education is mandatory from 7 years here... Up until then, it's all voluntary. And we don't get any refunds for daycare, but it really doesn't cost that much if you don't go private.
Nursery in the UK starts around 3 months, and mandatory school starts at 5 years - but here in Wales, for instance, school is available (and free) from 3 years, and most people take advantage of that. (In London, school starts at 5, and nursery costs at least three limbs).
There's funding available for nursery, but it usually doesn't cover the full amount - with our first, we could afford it, and with our second, I did the mornings and my wife did the afternoons while I did my freelancing researchy thing - I still miss that.
The childcare starts from 3 months up in the Google facility, based on the accounts in this thread that sounds pretty standard. There's currently 5 kids and 3 teachers in Eliel's group. Parents pay; no government support for this kind of thing here as far as I'm aware.
30 comments so far
I hope he likes it! Good luck!
1 year, 2 months ago by lemonad
Aw!
1 year, 2 months ago by mobiledan
What is kindergarten age? By the way sorry I missed you last week.
1 year, 2 months ago by JebBrilliant
K is 5-7 depending on teh school district
1 year, 2 months ago by arjw
Good luck to Mr. E with the new adventures! :)
1 year, 2 months ago by asmunder
@arjw that's my Finglish at work again (the Finnish word I was looking for the English counterpart to is 'tarha'. It's a general noun for 'daycare'). What's the correct term for a daycare for smaller kids?
1 year, 2 months ago by jyri
Daycare generally if it is a center for lots of kids. Babysitter if just a few kids and few people watching them.
1 year, 2 months ago by CaffeineJunky
@jyri I believe gulag is the English word you are looking for.
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
Is it day nursery?
1 year, 2 months ago by haloefekti
Yes, I've been thinking the same. Kindergarden comes only after preschool, but what's before preschool? I think this particular one is called "Children's center". All kids seem to have a different nationality.
1 year, 2 months ago by ullamaaria
In Dutch we use the word Creche, but that doesn't seem like a Dutch word.
1 year, 2 months ago by ralphm
That's French for daycare...
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
BTW, we are doing the same thing right now... After two weeks of 3 days/week, Aamos got his first ear infection. Yay!
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
Based on the 1st day @eliel's off to a good start. (Reportedly he cried only once: when he had to leave)
It's proving quite interesting to experience how daycare works here and note similarities and differences with the Finnish model.
1 year, 2 months ago by jyri
I can tell you teh first two days are going to be cool, it's all interesting and new. Then you get to th epoint where he starts crying before you even get to the place. And he'll cry, mustering all his heartbreak virtuosity and big old ball-bearing size tears until he's sure you've left and are crushed under the guilt of abandoning your child. That's when he'll maybe start playing with the other kids...
After a couple of weeks of this, things calm down. I hear. We're still at the emotional blackmail stage.
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
@tolonen: my experience is totally different. My now 14-month old girl loves going to day care and always has. She's also happy to see us pick her up, though. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is fairly normal to start with day care from about three months old in the Netherlands.
1 year, 2 months ago by ralphm
3 years seems to be the average here in Finland, so our son is the youngest in his group. Luckily, his cousin Alma is in the same group, so it's not like being tossed into black hole:-)
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
Right. From what I've heard from the people at the day care, it gets harder for kids to get used to going to day care the older they are at the start. I didn't know there was such a large difference between countries.
1 year, 2 months ago by ralphm
Yea, I imagined it to be so, too, so I figure it's better to get this phase over with now, because I certainly don't want to be dealing with it when Aamos goes to school:-)
I'll make a stone of my heart three mornings a week.
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
Out of curiosity, does that mean that one of the parents usually stays at home to take care of the kid(s) full time in the first three years in Finland?
1 year, 2 months ago by ralphm
from what I recall I started infantario at age 3. or was it 2? bah it was too long ago. Primary school start 2 weeks berore I got 6 y'o
1 year, 2 months ago by BUGabundo
In the netherlands, day care is from 0-4, and then basic education starts, which is 2 years of kindergarden and then on to real schooling (reading, writing, math, that stuff)
1 year, 2 months ago by ralphm
@ralphm Yes, the first nine months the mom is paid full-time to do it. Then you get home care assistance from the government, the amount being variable based on the living expenses in your region. It's not a lot, but if one parent has a good-paying job, it's doable. Grandparents are a good, oft-used resource. I'm sure there are loads of different ways of handling the situation.
With us, my wife stayed on leave for 9 months and then I stayed home full-time for a year, but ran my company/freelance stuff on the side (at night).
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
Basic education is mandatory from age 4, by the way. Actually, we have a good social system that refunds the largest part of the day care bill, encouraging people to have (partial) jobs.
1 year, 2 months ago by ralphm
in Portugal it is quite usual for grand parents to take care of the kids up to 3 y'o before they go to infantario
1 year, 2 months ago by BUGabundo
Basic education is mandatory from 7 years here... Up until then, it's all voluntary. And we don't get any refunds for daycare, but it really doesn't cost that much if you don't go private.
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
@BUGabundo Both Aamos' grandparents are still working...
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
Nursery in the UK starts around 3 months, and mandatory school starts at 5 years - but here in Wales, for instance, school is available (and free) from 3 years, and most people take advantage of that. (In London, school starts at 5, and nursery costs at least three limbs).
There's funding available for nursery, but it usually doesn't cover the full amount - with our first, we could afford it, and with our second, I did the mornings and my wife did the afternoons while I did my freelancing researchy thing - I still miss that.
1 year, 2 months ago by dwd
I went to an English pre-school for a day in Kitwe Zambia back in 1976 or something.
1 year, 2 months ago by tolonen
The childcare starts from 3 months up in the Google facility, based on the accounts in this thread that sounds pretty standard. There's currently 5 kids and 3 teachers in Eliel's group. Parents pay; no government support for this kind of thing here as far as I'm aware.
1 year, 2 months ago by jyri