It does not matter if you are looking for a formal childcare center, an in-home care or a family day care center. There are some basics you should know and even insist upon, it does not matter if the childcare facility or caregiver comes with high recommendations.
Moreover, your research on childcare facilities and caregivers should not end with family and friends recommendations. You can also do some online research on them with keywords such as 2000days Calgary daycare, depending on your location as well as the recommendations given.
As for now, here are tips on choosing childcare.
1. Look on what is going on in the surroundings
You should always pay attention to what the staff is doing, while visiting a potential childcare facility. Also, pay attention to how they are interacting with kids. In an ideal place, the caregiver should be holding a kid on her lap or playing with some on the floor.
Children often need a close and loving relationship with adults in order to grow. Therefore, ensure that the caregivers have a sense of warmth and are approachable.
Also, take note that different childcare facilities will set their own staff to childcare ratio. So be sure to ask, this way you get to know how well you child will be taken care of.
2. Plan for a surprise visit
As much, as recommendations may come highly decorated from other parents, family and friends. You still need to assess the place before and even after you take your child.
Nonetheless, the basics will have to be met this can range from cleanliness, age-appropriate books and toys as well as the facility being childproofed. You can also consider the space the facility has for children and if it is enough for the number, they have.
You can visit different childcare centers at different times of the day, just to see how things normally work. After, you enroll your kid, feel free to just pop in unannounced to see if it is the right place or not, for your child.
3. Do a policy check
As a parent, you have your own policies when it comes to raising your child. Some things will be a turn-off. Therefore, the best way to avoid a sort of parenting clash is to check if you share the same sentiments or policies with the caregiver or daycare center.
Some sensitive topics to discuss include but are not limited to TV time, scolding, feeding in terms of snacks and drinks offered. It is also important to note sleep time.
You should also inquire about the kinds of sickness or symptoms that would prevent your child from attending the facility. Likewise, ask if there is any form of backup, in case the family daycare provider or in-home caregiver fails to come due to health issues.
The more you know and ask about your child’s care, the less of inconvenient surprises you will experience.
4. Ask for some commitment
If you are looking for a caregiver to take care of your kid at home, ask them to commit for the long haul, at least a year. If it is a daycare center, you would ask them for how long their current caregivers have been working, how frequently they change them.
This is because babies often need consistent and predictable care. This way they get to form a secure attachment with their caregivers.
5. Trust your gut
Parents often have a gut feeling, if it does not feel right it is not. It does not matter if it is the best center with great caregivers or a highly recommended caregiver. You are free to search for other daycare centers as well as babysitters, until you find one that does not turn you off. This is because children will only thrive under great nurturing care.
6. Security
You can gauge the level of security of a daycare facility, by visiting it constantly just to see to which extent you can walk in there without being stopped, or asked for identification.
Moreover, you should know if they could hand over a child to anyone, for example their grandparents, other siblings, aunts or uncles, without any prior notice from the parents. Such things and many more would tell you how secure and strict the place is.
7. Board and management
Do your homework and find out if a board, trust or just individuals run the childcare center. This can help you determine their level of professionalism as well as work ethic.
As much, as individuals can run the show, providing a warm and cozy atmosphere, daycare facilities managed professionally tend to have systems, answerability as well as security in place, things very important when it comes to emergency.
Nice article i have read your blog and you have describe with nicely and hope in future you will do post like this.
2019 Mothers Day
Thanks for the article!
You make a great point that when choosing a daycare that it is important to pay attention to what the staff is doing. I have a son that I am looking to put into daycare now that I am job hunting, and I want to be sure that I choose a perfect place for him. I’ll be sure to use your tips in the future as I search.
I liked how you talked about trusting your gut. My husband and I have been talking about the things that we’ll be paying attention to and how we’ll end up coming to our conclusion logically. I think that keeping in mind trusting your gut will really help us to also take into account places that we have a good feeling about.
Your advice to plan a surprise visit so you can assess the daycare center yourself to make sure it’s clean, safe, and offers appropriate books and toys would be important. When visiting, it might help to create a list of questions beforehand. Having questions prepared in advance would be useful to get the information you need about the facility and
I like how you mentioned that when looking for a daycare for your child, you should ask how long their caregivers have been working there, and how frequently they change them to make sure your child will be able to feel secure and form an attachment with their caregiver. I am going back to work full time, and need to find a daycare to watch my thr
I need to find a daycare center for my daughter starting in the fall. You make a great point that I should make a surprise visit to potential daycare facilities. This way I can make sure the center is clean and organized. Plus, I can observe the way that the teachers interact with the students.
It was helpful when you said to visit a daycare center unannounced, as it will help you see how things normally work. My aunt has a very young son, so she may want to find a daycare. Thanks for the great tips of choosing a great daycare.
I really like how you explain that you should check what the center’s policies are so that there isn’t a clash between what your policies for your kids are and what their’s will be. Recently, our child became old enough to go to a day care and we work a lot. I’ll have to look further into day cares and after school child care programs.
It’s interesting to know that the level of security will tell you what a good childcare facility looks like. My brother is looking for a childcare facility for his son, and we are helping him. I will pass this information to let him know how to find a reliable childcare facility.
You make some good points on how to find child care. I agree that you want to consider their staff to childcare ratio. I’m looking for a daycare now that I work full time, so I’ll have to check their ratios first.
I really appreciate that you mentioned that you should always be paying attention to what the staff is doing when visiting a childcare facility. My sister has young twin girls, and she is trying to figure out how to choose the right place to take them when she goes back to working full time. I will suggest her to go visit the different facilities s
I liked your article about the daycare center tips. I will share your blog with people who are looking for daycare for their children.