One of the most important decisions you will make concerning your child’s life is choosing a day care facility once you return to work. Young children need a significant amount of individualized time. If you can’t be with your child, you will certainly want to find the best substitute care for him or her.
There are several points you will want to consider when choosing a day care situation for your son or daughter. You will need to become knowledgeable in your state’s licensure regulations. You may have several facilities that you are considering. Visit these facilities, and plan to spend some time observing how the employees work with the children. Are there enough day care workers? You don’t want to leave your child in a facility that has quite a few children per adult, especially if your child is an infant or toddler.
You can ask to see the kitchen and bathroom areas. Are these areas clean? Have the employees taken safety precautions? Are chemicals and other harmful objects stored out of children’s reach? You can ask to see their daily menus. Do they serve nutritious meals? What snacks do they give?
Pay attention to the various areas in the building. Are there lots of colorful objects and pictures? Do you see evidence of the children’s creativity? Are there plenty of supplies for coloring, drawing, construction, and other forms of play? Do you see different toys? Are they in good shape? How do they sanitize their play areas?
Check out the playground facilities. Is the area enclosed in a fence so that there isn’t a chance of a child wandering off? What shape is the playground equipment in? Does it appear to be well-maintained and safe? Is there plenty of room for several children to play? Are group activities encouraged for the older children?
Notice how the daycare workers interact with the children. Do they seem enthusiastic about their jobs? Are they kind but firm? Do they seem to be genuinely caring about each of the children? Do the employees spend time instructing and encouraging the children? Are the instructors trained? Do they have early childhood degrees? Has the facility had the majority of the staff for a long time?
Ask the director about the facility’s security measures. Do they have strict policies on visitors? Do they monitor who picks up each child every day?
If you are placing your infant or toddler in a daycare, it is very important that they have a lot of individualized care ideally with the same one or two people. Find out who will be your child’s specific caregiver and talk with that person. If you are unsure or at all uneasy about that particular person, you may want to look elsewhere for a daycare facility.
If you are placing your child in a family run center, you will still need to know if the center falls under your state’s daycare guidelines and regulations. How many children is the caregiver taking care of? How long has she been in business? What experience and/or degrees does she have? You still need to find out about her safety and security precautions.
If you are searching for a daycare facility or you have questions about a particular facility, your best information will come from other parents who use that particular daycare. If you have friends or acquaintances that you trust, ask them for recommendations and references. You will, also, want to ask them how long they have used the daycare facility.
The facility or caregiver you are considering should welcome unannounced visits from parents. If they seem to frown on this practice, you would be wise to look for another daycare provider. Once you have done your research and obtained references from other parents, you should be able to choose a competent and caring daycare facility for your child.
