12/23/2025
I am a stickler when a parent says their child doesn't need rest!
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We cannot overstate how critical sleep is and how foundational it is to lifelong growth and healthy development. This is true across the lifespan, but in childhood the stakes are higher because so much physical, neurological, and emotional development depends on it.
During sleep, growth hormone is released, supporting physical growth, tissue repair, and overall development. The brain strengthens neural connections, consolidates memory, regulates emotions, and recalibrates stress responses.
Sleep directly supports attention, impulse control, learning, mood, immune function, and metabolic health. When sleep is disrupted or insufficient, these systems do not function optimally, and the effects show up during the day as dysregulation, reactivity, difficulty focusing, and increased behavioral challenges.
We understand the concern many parents raise: “If my child naps, they won’t sleep at night.” That experience feels real, especially when evenings are already hard. What research and long-term practice consistently show, however, is that overtired children often struggle more with nighttime sleep, not less.
When children miss daytime rest, cortisol levels rise, making it harder for the body to settle later. Bedtimes become more fragmented, night wakings increase, and sleep quality declines. In many cases, the issue is not that children rested during the day, but that their overall sleep rhythms need support and consistency.
The reality of group care is that children follow shared rhythms designed around biological and developmental needs rather than individual preferences. While communication and teamwork between home and school is essential, classrooms rely on predictable schedules to support regulation and well-being for the group as a whole. It's not realistic to expect educators to structure the day around individual sleep needs while meeting the needs of every other child. This is part of the reality of shared care environments.
But even in the hypothetical and largely impractical scenario of 1:1 care within a group setting, intentionally keeping a child awake would still contradict best practice. Withholding rest is not a solution, nor something we should ever seek to incorporate.
And best practice does not involve forcing children to sleep, but rather, involves creating the conditions for rest. Calm bodies, dim lighting, quiet space, and reduced stimulation allow children to listen to their own needs. Some children sleep. Some rest quietly. All benefit.
What best practice does not support is intentionally keeping children awake. This applies to both homes and care settings.
A modern factor that is significantly disrupting sleep quality is technology and screen exposure. While this concern is often discussed in relation to home environments, we are increasingly seeing videos played in childcare settings as well.
Whether at home or in a classroom, there should never be technology used before rest. Even when children appear to fall asleep quickly afterward, blue light and visual stimulation interfere with melatonin production and sleep quality.
Falling asleep is not the same as restorative sleep!
Supporting healthy sleep also means ensuring children get ample movement and regular exposure to natural light throughout the day, both of which play a critical role in regulating circadian rhythms and supporting more settled sleep.
Sleep is where development is built. Protecting it is a fundamental responsibility in both homes and care settings, not something to sacrifice for convenience. When sleep is disrupted or withheld, the impact is unavoidable and shows up across every domain of development. So please prioritize it.
