How To Choose A Child Care Centre
Parents have a choice between group daycare and in-home daycare. Group daycare facilities provide more opportunities for children to socialize. If you select group daycare, you need to do additional research on the facility, as you have less control over the setting. The following steps can guide to choosing a child care facility.
Step 1: Conduct Research
When you are looking for a child care center, the initial step is to research the different facilities in your locality. Friends and relatives can provide valuable recommendations. Also, consider getting recommendations from pediatricians and family dentists who deal with parents regularly. The ideal child care center will have an online presence detailing its services. Therefore, consider doing an online search. In the end, the recommendations and online search will help you to shortlist potential child care facilities.
Step 2: Contact the Centers
Next, you need to vet the shortlisted child care centers. Contact the select facilities and conduct a phone interview. Be keen on whether they provide satisfactory answers and adequate information. Notably, assess if they sound professional, receptive, and patient.
Consider asking the following questions:
- Are you registered and licensed?
- What child care services do you offer?
- How is the schedule and daily program?
- What is the educational philosophy and policies?
- What is the staff-student ratio?
- How do you hire and screen staff?
Step 3: Visit the Center
The phone interview should help you narrow down the options. Then, plan for physical visits to the child care facilities. During your visit, pay attention to the general appearance of the facility. Are there security features and access control measures? Then, pay attention to the rooms. Does the facility have enough rooms to accommodate the number of children? Are there separate rooms for different age groups and activities? Also, check if the children have age-specific playing and learning materials. Importantly, assess how the staff interacts with the children. See if they are caring, attentive, passionate, and excited.
Step 4: Get References
The ideal child care center should provide referrals to the existing parents. This way, you get a feel for the facility from a parent perspective. Read through the referral letters for in-depth insights about service quality. Also, ask for contact information and call the parents for a personalized interview. Remember to request a balanced review, including the bad experiences. Has the parent experienced a service failure or emergency? How did the institution handle the situations? The feedback will get you closer to a final decision.
Step 5: Drop by Unannounced
An impromptu visit lets you see the child care facility in its natural setting. Remember that the management can put up a show during a scheduled visit. Thus, drop by uninvited on several occasions and different times of the day. During the random visit, review the facilities, routine, and staff interaction with the children.
Sooner or later, you will have to entrust your child to caregivers and resume work. You must ensure that the select facility has the capacity, attitudes, and processes to offer quality child care services.