Finding child care around school hours

Top Tips When Choosing A Family Day Care

by Erik Simpson

Most parents get anxious when taking their kids to day care. In most cases, they are afraid that their child will not get the attention that he or she deserves. Choosing an appropriate day care can go a long way in eliminating these fears. This excerpt discusses some tips to help you choose a day care centre.

Licencing

As a rule, the day care should have a licence to operate in your state. A licence is a guarantee that the day care observes the standards set by the government. Some day care centres will have accreditations from national and international bodies due to the quality of services they provide.

Teacher Experience

Teachers and caregivers at the centre should be trained and experienced in early childhood development. Children require a lot of attention since they cannot make rational decisions. For instance, they are known to eat dirt and indigestible items. A skilled caregiver will keep a watchful eye on the kids to ensure they do not engage in such behaviours. Check the teacher-learner ratio in the facility. Teachers and caregivers may be unable to provide individual attention to each kid if they have to supervise many kids at once. 

Day Care Routine

What activities will your child engage in at the day care? Below are a few activities that can significantly boost your child's development.

  • Reading and storytime will help enhance your child's speech.
  • Some day care centres have art sessions where children can draw and play with colours. Art classes will help teachers identify gifted children at an early stage.
  • The facility should have a wide array of toys and play items. Playtime is an opportunity for your child to socialise with other kids.
  • The day care should also allocate some time for sleep.

School Policies

Assess school policies. For instance, parents may be required to give accurate information about child immunisations. It helps prevent disease outbreaks in the facility. Check how the caregivers and teachers instil discipline among the kids. For instance, some kids will not want to eat or share toys. Besides, some may be abusive. The management should allow nannies and siblings to pick kids from the facility as long as they have authorisation from the parent. 

Safety

The day care environment must be safe for kids. Therefore, inspect the facility to identify any potential risks. For example, slippery floors could lead to accidents. On the other hand, defective playing equipment could cause injuries. The day care should have a nurse to attend to ill or injured kids.

When choosing a day care, check its licencing, teacher experience, day care routine, school policies and the safety standards observed at the facility.

Share