How to choose the right childrens day care facility to care for your children... One that will ease your mind and keep your children safe.
Choosing a day care facility can be one of the most heart wrenching jobs a mother has to face. It means that the mother is entrusting the care of her child, to another. It means that the child will be in the care of one person; the very same person who must care for fifteen other children. It means that there is going to be a separation period from her child for periods of six to eight hours. And, it means that the child's behavior will be influenced by the other children.
So how do you choose the right facility?
Whether it be a licensed commercial facility or an in-home childcare facility, choosing a childcare provider is never an easy task. It can often feel overwhelming and as though you are intruding on the privacy of the people involved, but you aren't. Just remember that this is your child and his or her life is at stake.
When choosing a good day care facility, the following are things that a parent should keep in mind:
1. Get a background check done:
· If it's an in-home child care facility, have you seen the license provided by the state, that says the caregiver has had a thorough background check and is suitable for the job at hand?
· If it's a licensed, commercial child care facility, have you asked to see a background check on the teachers that will be caring for your child?
2. Check credentials:
· Has the provider had any first aid classes?
· Has the provider had any CPR classes?
· If there is a handicapped child involved, has there been any special training?
· Are all the licenses all up-to-date?
· If teaching credentials are necessary, does the provider meet the state's requirements?
· Ask other parents what they think of the provider.
3. Take a test run:
· Ask to let your child play with the other children and observe what takes place.
· Stop in from time to time, unannounced, to see how the provider handles the children when you are not expected.
· Listen to what the children have to say about their day at the facility.
4. Check out the facility:
· If food is going to be served to your child, check out the kitchen and cleaning procedures.
· Stop by the bathrooms to make sure that they are kept clean and sanitized.
· Look at the toys. Are they clean? Are they badly damaged or are well-taken care of?
· How does the sandbox look? Does it smell like urine (from other animals or children)?
· What is the child-teacher ratio? In other words, how many children to one adult?
· If your child is handicapped, are there proper ramps, equipment, and toys to meet the needs of your child?
5. What are their policies:
· What takes place when a child has an accident in his or her pants?
· What happens when a child gets injured?
· What happens when one child bites another child?
