With more and more women choosing to return to the work field after their six weeks of maternity leave is up, the demand for the services of daycare is on the rise. But more importantly than the quantity of daycares that are popping up, there is an even bigger need for quality daycares.
This day in age you can’t just drop your child off with any old body, it takes time and research to find a daycare that’s just right for you and your child. Here are a few things to look for when choosing a daycare.
1) Take the Tour: You can’t find a good daycare on the internet or phonebook. Compile a list of possible establishments and check it out for yourself. This way you can see if the facility is dirty, outdated, overcrowded, etc.
2) Experience: How long has the establishment been in business? The answer to this question will tell you a lot about the daycare. Newer daycares have less time to be reported for any wrong doing, thus you can’t really tell if they’re good or not. Plus, there’s something to a company that is open for a long time. Typically the same structure and drive needed to maintain a business can be applied to caring for your child.
Experience is not just for the establishment, but for the employees also. I don’t need you to tell me how to get from here to California if you’ve never taken the trip yourself. Do the employees have children of their own? If not did they grow up caring for siblings or have a long history of caring for kids? The employees’ history is important to. Which leads us to…
3) Get to know the people take care of your kids: Ask the employees questions. Find out what they would do if your child starts crying excessively. How often are the kids fed, changed and put down for naps? You need to know if they are actually knowledgeable, and if they have a problem talking to you, they might have a problem taking care of your kid. You also want to consider how many workers there are to the number of kids per class. Ideally you would like to choose a place that has one worker for every five kids. This way you know that your child will get the attention he or she needs.
4) Education: At this point the daycare workers will be with your child more than you will. (Sorry to say, but it’s true) You want to make sure they are, at the minimum, doing everything to help your child develop as you are. If you have an infant, make sure you tour the rest of the facility and not just the infant room. This way you’ll get a good view on how the daycare will work on your child’s progression.
5) Security: How secure is the facility. Can people just walk in and out when they please? Sad to say this isn’t the time where you can just go on vacation without locking your doors like back in the day. What measures do they take to keep your child safe? Are doors locked at all times? Many daycares have at least a door with pass code which is only provided to the parents. I wouldn’t recommend any place that has less than that.
These are just a few things to look for when choosing a daycare. Of course you must consider price, location, and so on. Take your time choosing the very best daycare. And if this means a slightly more expensive daycare, if you can afford it, do it.
Is there a daycare in the area you recommend? Let us know.
