When you begin the search for child care, you may be experiencing a range of emotions. When your full-time job has been taking care of your precious and beloved child, it feels like a daunting task to find a child care provider that can carry this responsibility. Choosing the right place for your child to learn, develop, and grow is not a decision to rush or compromise.
Begin investigating your options by making a list of child care services that are most important to you. Then, take your time as you visit, interview, and explore the services available in your area. As you begin this journey, here are a few important factors to consider.
Location and Convenience
The reasons you are exploring child care likely involve the demands of life and work. Ensure that each Lake Haven child care centre you visit is within a reasonable commuting distance from your home or workplace. Consider your schedule to ensure that you will be able to make it in time to the child care centre for pick-up each day, as centres typically charge extra fees for late pick-ups.
Educator Qualifications and Staffing Levels
You should be able to review the training and qualifications of the child care professionals who will handle the safety and educational aspects of your child’s time outside your home. Look for energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of overall happiness in the staff and early childhood quality and safety ratings that meet or exceed expectations.
Ask about the educator-to-child ratio at the child care centre. Find out how many educators will look after your child, and whether the staffing roster is consistent.
Curriculum Quality
Child care providers should align their services to the Early Years Learning Framework, which sets standards for curriculum and engagement at preschools and child care centres. Look for holistic programmes that incorporate social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development. Ask about the child care centre’s systems to communicate your child’s progress and tailor individualised learning. If this is your child’s first time spending days away from home, you will want to ensure that open and regular communication is an integral part of the child care centre’s offerings.
Healthy Menus
As a parent, you know how important a healthy diet with plenty of choice and variety is to your child’s physical and mental well-being. Look for a child care provider to offer delicious and fresh options with plenty of choices. Some providers provide progressive meals, meaning they will be open for an extended period while educators help children identify healthy choices and timing of their meals. If your child has any special dietary needs, ensure that the provider can accommodate these needs.
Orientation Services
The transition to childcare outside the home is a big change for both you and your child, but it should not be traumatic. Ask questions about how the child care provider helps children to adjust smoothly to life at the centre. Quality providers will involve parents in a transition that gradually introduces the child to the new environment, educators, and other children. They will personalise a plan to minimise anxiety in separation and help your child adjust comfortably to their new surroundings.
Licensing and Ratings
Verify if a childcare facility is licensed before doing any more research on it. In an effort to save money, home daycares could try to bypass this requirement, however, without a state license, there are no inspections or other forms of control of the daycare’s activities.
When a center receives a license, all state laws, inspections, and guidelines apply to it. This monitoring makes sure that everyone working in the center is qualified and that the children, building, and staff are all safe.
The majority of daycares will offer references, but they will almost certainly be good ones. Do not only depend on the references the childcare center provides; do your own research to find out what parents enjoy and dislike about the facility.
Open and Honest Communication
A good daycare should keep open lines of contact with parents and speak with them frequently so that they may voice any problems or concerns. There should be a simple means to contact the administration, instructors, or other staff members, whether it be via phone, email, or in person.
Another indication of a top-notch daycare is consistent contact from the facility regarding new regulations, facility modifications, and general updates. These might come from weekly newsletters, applications that provide you daily updates and images of what your kid did that day or even social media posts.
Cleanliness and Safety
Particularly with so many kids sharing toys and other objects, cleanliness is crucial. Consistently clean, sanitize, and disinfect the facility. Keep an eye out for how tidy everything is when you take a tour.
Additionally, safety is crucial. When dropping off or picking up, enquire about their safety precautions. Do you require a code to enter? To whom will they give your child? What security measures are in place for guests or other people entering the center?
Additionally, the security measures in the classrooms should be appropriate for the age of the students. Among the things to watch for are:
- Plug-in covering
- Cribs without bumpers or other loose bedding that are out of reach of curtains or windows.
- Blind pulls that are fastened or beyond children’s reach
- Doorknob coverings to prevent kids from leaving the class unsupervised Place exit door alarms or knobs out of children’s reach.
- Strap-equipped highchairs and changing tables
- There are no little items that might suffocate small toddlers.
- Store toxic items, such as cleaning products and medications.
- Age-appropriate furniture and toys
Happy Kids and Caring Teachers
Pay attention to the children and teachers as you explore possible childcare facilities. Do you see any children that appear content, interested, and at ease? See the interactions between the teachers and the kids as well as the interactions among the kids themselves. Spending a few minutes observing will typically give you a good understanding of the surroundings.
Proper Teacher-to-Child Ratios
Every state has set minimum teacher-to-child ratios that all daycares with licenses must adhere to. Fewer teachers are required as the kids become older. Verify that the daycare facility complies with the regulations set out by your state.
Most states mandate one instructor for every four newborns in baby classes, with a maximum of 6–8 infants per class. The ratio increases for older kids since they do not require as much specialized care as babies do.
Training
Teachers ought to have emergency response training as well. Every teacher and administration should be obliged to complete CPR and first aid training.
Ask potential daycares about their instructor requirements and training programs as well. Among the inquiries to make are:
- Are early childhood education degrees or other credentials necessary for teachers?
- Are teachers required to have a college degree or a high school diploma?
- What kind of training are the teachers given by the daycare center?
- Are administrators and instructors offered continuous education?
Low Employee Turnover
High employee turnover is a common problem in childcare centers. Teachers will come and go, but you do not want your child to have a new teacher every other week, even if it is to be anticipated. Inquire of the childcare director about staff turnover, the length of time they have worked at the facility, and their tenure as director.
Low turnover is an indication of a successful workplace since it allows your child and their instructor to become friends and feel at ease with one another. Loyal workers who stay with organizations for a long time are those who are treated well. Why would you want to commit your child’s care to a place where staff does not want to be? A high turnover rate may be a clue that the workplace is not supportive.
Find the Top Childcare Centers in Your Area
Choosing a childcare center may be a difficult choice. After all, you are entrusting them with the upbringing, protection, and education of your child. It’s not a choice to be made lightly, but you can locate the finest childcare provider in your region with a lot of research, asking the appropriate questions, and trusting your instincts.
Center location and value
Make a list of every childcare facility in your neighborhood and get in touch with each one to ask about annual rates and any other expenses. Catering, special events, and even waiting list fees are examples of additional expenses. Do not base your choice just on pricing; also consider how close an option is to your house and place of employment. Would a facility located closer to your home or place of employment be more practical?
Modern infrastructure and up-to-date childcare management technology
More crucial than having the most up-to-date playthings are qualified, considerate, and entertaining teachers, but you should also pay attention to the infrastructure of the center’s age and condition. You should seek a center that has excellent learning resources and a secure, up-to-date infrastructure. It is critical that the childcare facility utilize technology and connect to the Child Care Management System.
Warm and Responsive
You want to be certain that your child is growing up in a loving and compassionate environment and that their needs are being met. Keep an eye out for student-teacher banter and laughs. It is critical that instructors treat the kids with kindness and respect while speaking to them. Check to see if teachers try to speak to the students at eye level. Infants need to be held tenderly and frequently.
Stimulating and Dynamic
Children should participate in play-based active learning. The availability of engaging materials for kids to explore, read, and engage with is crucial. Look for room and equipment outside for climbing, running, and tossing balls, as well as blocks, puzzles, books, and dramatic play items inside.
Takeaway
Careful investigation of these and other factors are essential, but so are your gut feelings. Spend enough time at a possible child care provider’s facility that you get a feeling for the overall mood and quality of services provided. If the children and educators seem happy, safe, and comfortable, you are probably on the right track. You know your child best, and you should always trust your instincts.