Guest post – Questions Every Parent Should Ask When Choosing A Childcare Center
A childcare center isn’t just a place to keep your kids safe while you’re at work – the right one can boost their growth! Research found that there are positive links between quality of childcare and children’s cognitive development. To help you find the best childcare center for your children, make sure you ask the following questions.
What Are The Caregivers Like?
The most important element of childcare centers is how caregivers interact with the kids. The caregivers should be on the floor playing with kids and giving them attention. You want to be sure that your child will be learning things and shown care, so it’s also a good idea to ask the caregivers for a schedule of daily activities.
What Are The Center’s References?
Although how you feel for a place and its staff matters, you should always get references. Ask for them directly from the childcare center but also look the facility up on social media to see what other parents are saying about it. Chat to friends who have children to find out what their experience with childcare centers has been like. This could also help you find a center closer to home.
What’s The Place Like When You Drop By Unannounced?
Visit a prospective childcare center without making an appointment. This will show you what happens when people aren’t on guard as well as what the atmosphere is like. Ideally, you should see kids who are learning or doing activities under the watchful eye of enthusiastic caregivers.
Is It Safe?
Take your time to look around to ensure that the childcare center is safe and healthy. It should be clean, tidy and secure.
Ask the center for its policies on important issues, such as hand-washing, immunizations and emergency plans in the case of a natural disaster or fire. You also want to be sure that adults are well-trained in caregiving and have first aid as well as CPR qualifications. If the center isn’t upfront about these issues or falls short on its staff training, it’s not the right one.
What’s The Parenting Style?
What happens when a child misbehaves, or doesn’t want to use the potty or have a nap? How you treat these situations at home with your children should be in line with what the caregivers do, otherwise it could cause conflict. You need to ensure that the caregivers will include you in decision-making as well as keep you up to date on your child’s development. This healthy communication is also vital to make you feel comfortable about leaving your child’s care in another person’s hands every day.
How Do Kids Get To Play?
Although learning is important, kids need to play! A study by the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education found that children younger than three who were in daycare displayed healthier peer relationships. How children interact with each other is an important part of their future social development, so you want to ensure that the childcare center offers safe, healthy play, such as sports and activities the children can do together.
Choosing a childcare center for your children is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent. By following the above tips, you can ensure your child is in a happy, safe place that encourages healthy development.