How to Choose Daycare for a Toddler
Decide what kind of daycare you want: professional facility or in-home., Visit the child care facility for a tour., Examine the daily and weekly schedule for the child care facility., Ask about the child care's check-in and check-out procedures...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide what kind of daycare you want: professional facility or in-home.
In-home daycares are run by an individual or family, in a private home.
They tend to be less expensive than professional daycares and offer a more personal relationship with the caregiver.
Professional daycares are licensed with the state and held to consistent standards.
While more expensive than in-home options, they often have better-trained staff and more extensive facilities. -
Step 2: Visit the child care facility for a tour.
While the manager or sales representative shows you the high points, scan each area for safety and cleanliness.
Check safety by looking for hazards like cleaning supplies, electrical hazards and heavy objects that can fall down.
Check the storage shelves and other out-of-the-way areas for cleanliness.
Every daycare will keep the bathrooms and public areas clean, but the out-of-sight areas will give you a good idea of how seriously the child care facility takes the details. , A quality center will have a robust program of structured activities to enrich and entertain your child. , If a facility doesn't carefully monitor the children, and restrict adult access, it's not as safe as one that does. , Some states require this for all staff, while others require it only for some
-- and many daycares can operate under legal loopholes that waive this requirement. , A good center continuously improves its employees' knowledge and skill bases to better help the children in their care. , This is required by state law, but not all daycares do this.
Backgrounding is such a common part of the job that a daycare manager should be able to easily describe the basic process.
If she can't, that may be a sign that it's not done there.
If the daycare makes frequent use of parent volunteers, it's a good idea to ask how closely their backgrounds are checked. , How happy your child is with the program, children and adults will be a major indicator of whether or not a particular daycare program is right for your family. -
Step 3: Examine the daily and weekly schedule for the child care facility.
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Step 4: Ask about the child care's check-in and check-out procedures.
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Step 5: Find out what percentage of the staff is certified in early childhood education
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Step 6: child CPR and basic first aid.
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Step 7: Talk with the daycare's manager about ongoing training for staff.
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Step 8: Ask about the process by which the child care facility conducts background checks on its employees.
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Step 9: Try the daycare out for a week.
Detailed Guide
In-home daycares are run by an individual or family, in a private home.
They tend to be less expensive than professional daycares and offer a more personal relationship with the caregiver.
Professional daycares are licensed with the state and held to consistent standards.
While more expensive than in-home options, they often have better-trained staff and more extensive facilities.
While the manager or sales representative shows you the high points, scan each area for safety and cleanliness.
Check safety by looking for hazards like cleaning supplies, electrical hazards and heavy objects that can fall down.
Check the storage shelves and other out-of-the-way areas for cleanliness.
Every daycare will keep the bathrooms and public areas clean, but the out-of-sight areas will give you a good idea of how seriously the child care facility takes the details. , A quality center will have a robust program of structured activities to enrich and entertain your child. , If a facility doesn't carefully monitor the children, and restrict adult access, it's not as safe as one that does. , Some states require this for all staff, while others require it only for some
-- and many daycares can operate under legal loopholes that waive this requirement. , A good center continuously improves its employees' knowledge and skill bases to better help the children in their care. , This is required by state law, but not all daycares do this.
Backgrounding is such a common part of the job that a daycare manager should be able to easily describe the basic process.
If she can't, that may be a sign that it's not done there.
If the daycare makes frequent use of parent volunteers, it's a good idea to ask how closely their backgrounds are checked. , How happy your child is with the program, children and adults will be a major indicator of whether or not a particular daycare program is right for your family.
About the Author
Deborah Wells
Brings years of experience writing about practical skills and related subjects.
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