Evaluating the Suitability of a Childcare Center (Part-1)

Choosing a daycare center for your precious little child can be a traumatic experience. You are about to leave the essence of your life in the care of strangers. Obviously, you are going to do all you can to ensure that the child is safe and happy there. That means asking many questions and collecting a lot of information.

However, you should know what would be the right questions to ask, and what would be the right information you need to collect. Here is an outline of how to go about it, and you can feel free to add on to it to meet your own circumstances and requirements.

Early search

Start your search for a good childcare center in your area about six months in advance, as the best ones usually fill up fast. The more time you have at your disposal to do an unhurried evaluation of the options, the better would be the chances of zeroing in on the best. There are excellent online resources  that can help you find the right daycare for your kid.

NAEYC Accreditation

A center accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has the reputation of high standards. If you have found one such center and have access to it, there is no need to look further. However, at present only about 7,000 centers are on the accredited list, and so it may not be easy to find one in your area.

Reputation

A good daycare center should necessarily have a homely and comforting atmosphere and a nurturing environment. Beware! Appearances can be deceptive! If you find a center that seems to be good, ask for the contact details of other parents who have placed their children there and talk to them. It would even be better to stop by at pickup time and meet some of the parents personally. That will give you a good idea of the kind of people they are. If they are quite enthusiastic about the center, it’s probably the right one for you too.

Ground rules and flexibility

You need a center that is flexible and willing to work with you to meet your specific needs; for instance dropping and picking up the child at different times. At the same time, the ground rules must be firmly in place to ensure that the environment is safe and healthy.

For example, does the center stipulate that all children and staff must have undergone current immunizations? Does it insist that sick children and staff stay away until they are medically fit to resume work? What is the policy about the entry of outsiders into the premises? If a center is not forthcoming about such ground rules, it could be one of a dubious nature.

Stimulating activities

The center should have a structured schedule in place to provide for physical activity, group and individual mind-stimulating activities, age-appropriate toys for play, rest time and nutritious food and snacks. Some centers include TV and video viewing in their activities; this is fine as long as the material is right for the age group, and its use limited.

There are centers that put the children in front of a TV for hours while the staff put their feet up and rest. It is worthwhile spending a day at the center to observe how the children are kept occupied, whether the teachers are sufficiently caring, involved and motivated and whether the center balances between all the right activities.

More evaluation tips follow in the next post.