Industrial Strength Childcare Selection
Is it time for your family to choose a daycare center? This article provides an in depth look at search techniques that are recommended by government agencies as well as some innovative ideas that you won’t hear from anyone else, and will provide the ultimate protection for your child and piece of mind for you.
Deciding to put your child in a daycare center may be one of the most difficult decisions that you have to make as a parent. However, there are a couple of things that you can do to help find some piece of mind. The first step to this is to start thinking about childcare way ahead of time. When I say this I don’t mean a couple of weeks. The smart decision would be to start looking for centers at least a month in advance. This way you can make sure that you have plenty of time to “shop around” and make sure that the decision you are making is the best one possible. This can also be helpful because your child could potentially spend time at the daycare center before you have to return to work. If there were any difficulties you wouldn’t need to loose time at your job. Typically I think we’ve all found that people make poorer decisions when they are under pressure. It’s to your benefit if you take plenty of time to browse the different options that you have and make sure that you’re not pressured into a situation that you’re not completely comfortable with.
Now that we have plenty of time to search for a childcare center we can think about how we’re going to find one. To begin with it is a good idea to ask friends and family what facilities they have used successfully or heard good things about. There are also Care Center referral centers that can help with this. These organizations specialize in pairing prospective families with daycare agencies that meet their needs best. It is also helpful to use the service provided by www.metroinfo.com. At their website they will have the top child care centers in your area. They determine this by certified audits of the establishment as well as continuous spot checks that make sure the business is functioning ethically. You can be sure that the listed centers will have also read this article and will already have taken the necessary steps included in this article. As you find the information on the different centers make sure that you make a list of the different daycare centers you learn about.
After you have a list of recommended centers it is time to think about location. What is most convenient for you? Should you choose a childcare center near your residence or place of employment? These are questions you need to ask yourself. This basically comes down to your personal preference and what you think your schedule will include. At this point I would suggest choosing your top three facilities to concentrate on. This way you don’t spread yourself too thin, and you can concentrate on viewing and judging your top three.
The bottom line when choosing a daycare facility is that you need to feel comfortable leaving your child there. That’s why when you finally decide on your top three centers I would recommend starting clean with your opinions of the daycare centers. You shouldn’t be swayed by anyone else’s opinion, because it is your child and you know what they need. Other people can’t tell you this. Now it’s time to start placing some calls. Arrange some appointments and plans to make the visit with your child.
On the first visit it is important to take everything you hear with a grain of salt so to say. The employees knew that you were coming and could have planned accordingly. If this sounds like paranoia to you it may be just that, but remember that your child will be spending quite a bit of time at the childcare center. During the visit there is a lot of information that you should gather. The American Psychological Association (APA) outlines these best. Here is their list of things to look for on a visit:
1. Are there enough caregivers? The number of caregivers needed changes with the ages of the children. There should be at least one adult for every three to four infants, one for each four to six toddlers under age 3, one for every nine to ten preschoolers underage 6, or one for each twelve school-aged children.
2. Can the caregivers take care of the number of children they have? Even with more than one caregiver, a group should not have more than eight infants, twelve toddlers, eighteen preschoolers, or twenty-four school-aged children.
3. Do the caregivers seem interested in doing childcare? Quality care that remains the same for the children over a long period of time is very important. How long have the caregivers been doing childcare? How long do they plan to keep doing childcare? Do they see child care as a career or just as a temporary job?
4. Do the caregivers spend most of their time listening to, playing with, and talking to the children? Do they pay attention quickly, and are they patient when children ask for help or seem to need attention? Do they know about and plan activities around the cultural traditions of the children? The answer to each of these questions should be yes.
5. Are parents welcome to visit at any time? They should be. Do the caregivers talk with parents when the parents drop off and pickup their children? Do the caregivers ask about the rest of the child's life? It is important that caregivers and parents talk often about the child at home and in day care.
6. Are the children safe? Children should not be left to themselves. Play equipment should be clean and in good repair. There should be a plan for contacting parents in case of emergency. Electrical outlets should be covered with safety caps. Do all the rooms have smoke detectors? Are toilets clean? Are rules for washing hands before eating and after toilet use clear? Do children and caregivers follow them? Sometimes mixing ages can be a problem because appropriate toys and games are different for each age. For example, small plastic blocks that are fine for 4-year-olds can be a danger to infants.
7. Is the place set up for children? Are the toys and furniture right for the children being cared for? Are there books appropriate for the age of the children?
8. Do the children seem happy, busy, and interested in what they are doing? Watching and listening to the children is one of the best ways to find out how good the care is.
9. Do the caregivers seem to know how hard it is for a child to adjust to a new situation and new people? Good centers have a plan for gradually bringing new children into the program to make the adjustment easier.
If the answers that you get for all of these questions are yes then you’ve probably found yourself a good place to have your child cared for. However, the one question that you should ultimately ask yourself is, “Do I feel comfortable here?” If you don’t, then it isn’t the right place for you to bring your child.
To get a final impression it is prudent to make an unplanned visit to center. This way you can see what goes on during everyday procedures. This final visit may be able to provide the final insight that you need to make your decision. When you visit for the second time try to verify as much of the information that you learned on the first visit. Is the facility still as clean, do the children still appear content, and are there the same adult to child ratios. Hopefully the answer is yes. This also doesn’t have to be the final visit to the center. It is highly advisable to continue visiting even after your child has been enrolled. This is a way to do your own spot check of the establishment. Also, The more you visit and keep tabs on what is going on the more piece of mind you are going to have. It also helps, if at all possible, to volunteer to help out at the center. These activities could include but are not limited to reading stories, chaperoning field trips, or even coaching a sports team. It is important to stay involved in your child’s school life just as much as their home life.
When you finally narrow your choices down it is time to get some facts. It is necessary to find out the education and/or certification levels of the employees at the center. Generally speaking, the higher the level the better. So, it’s better to have someone with a college degree watching your child than a high school senior. However, you still don’t know these people. Ask the owner if they perform background checks on all their employees. If they don’t it may be time to find a new center. The bottom line is that you want to take all possible actions to make sure that your child isn’t harmed. Even if they do run background checks at the center it is essential that you run one yourself. They are easy to access by using the internet. Simply type “background check” into any search engine and there will be a multitude of such companies that appear and for a fee will search thousands of public records for you. Some of the more prominent ones include www.intelius.com, www.criminalwatchdog.com, and www.peoplefinders.com. By conducting a search of this kind you can at least check to make sure the people that own the facility don’t have any criminal history. However, if at all possible make it a point to choose a center that conducts criminal background on all of its employees. This greatly lessens the risk of harm befalling your child.
If you are looking at a licensed facility is possible to check the validity by calling 1-866-48CHECK. This is a nationwide service that will help you find the licensing agent in your state. Whether you choose a licensed facility or not is up to you. As the parent you know what your child needs and it may be a non-licensed facility that provides this best. There is one more resource that you can use to make sure that your child is in a safe environment. This is the list of registered sex offenders maintained by the New Hampshire Department of Safety. It gives information about the location and history of sex offenders that can help you choose a safe place for your entire family. This list can be accessed at http://www.egov.nh.gov/nsor/. Let me note that it saddens me that I have to refer to a list like this in an article about childcare. However, it is important to know not only who lives in the vicinity of your home, but also in the vicinity of your child’s daycare center to ensure their safety.
There are many dangers that can be near or around daycare centers. That’s why I suggest getting in your car and taking a quick drive through the areas that surround the center. What is the neighborhood like? Are there bodies of water nearby? Is the center near a highway or road with fast moving cars? There are hundreds of hazards that may be lurking just around the corner from the center where you bring your children. However, in most cases these issues may not be a problem. NEVER choose a center where the outdoor play area is not fenced in. Even in the safest location not having a fenced in area can have serious consequences.
My final point is that we just happen to live in an imperfect world. It is a sad fact that there are people in the world that will, if given the chance, harm your family. Personally I try to take as many possible safety measures to insure my family’s safety. By using the ideas laid down in this article and by using the list provided by the APA it should be possible to find a reputable care provider that will not only watch your child, but also help them grow as a person. It is important to remember that the care provider will be functioning as a sort of parental figure, and it is essential that your child is staying in an environment that will allow them to learn while having fun and being safe. It is critical that parents know as much as they can about their childcare center so that they can make the best decision for their child and for themselves.
The above list was created by the APA and can be accessed at http://www.apa.org/pi/cyf/daycare.html
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