|
When you are ready to search for a child care center, you look for a center that can meet your needs as well as your child¡¦s needs. How can you make cure the center is safe? With so many horror stories nowadays, it IS better to be safe than sorry. A childcare provider may be overly economical for a reason. When you take out the yellow pages to make your first phone call, you¡¦ll need to have the following questions on hand and record the answers. Pretend that you are hiring the care center as an employee, and get as much background as possible before handing over your most important job: Taking care of your child!
During the initial phone call, ask them:
Are they state, county, or city-certified?
Do they have references?
How many children would be in your child¡¦s group?
How many children are there per staff member?
Does somebody on-staff have medical training (first aid, CPR, heimlich?)
What is their procedure for children who require medication?
By getting the answers to these questions, you should be able to narrow down the list to a few good centers, which are worth visiting. To help you weed out the dangerous one, it is common practice to have one adult watching no more than the following number of children:
„h 3-4 infants or toddlers
„h 4-6 two-year-olds
„h 7-8 three-year-olds
„h 8-9 four-year-olds
„h 8-10 five-year-olds
„h 10-12 school age children
If the center you call doesn¡¦t adhere to these guidelines, it is wise to void using their services in the future.
When you have narrowed down your list a little, it is time to start visiting childcare centers. Don¡¦t call ahead when visiting, show up unannounced! This may seem rude, but to see how the center operates normally, it is best to surprise them. If the staff is not happy with this, then chances are, you should steer clear from working with them. Count the number of adults and children you observe. In general, the more adults there are, the more likely it is that your child will receive individual attention and adequate supervision at all times. Give the workers different scenarios that involve disciplinary action, such as ¡§If another child hit my child, what would you do?¡¨ By understanding the values of the workers, you are finding out more about how they meet your needs.
Check out how children in the center are interacting with each other. Do they have enough fun, brightly-colored toys? Are the toys easy to access for all age groups? Watch the children as they play; do they seem to be absorbed in what they are doing? Are workers playing with them? If the children seem to be relaxed, happy, and engaged, then the program is probably one that children enjoy. If children appear to be aimless or nervous without adult supervision, avoid the program. They are not getting the attention they need. Make sure the program you choose fits your child¡¦s needs and has lots of personalized attention.
| 
