Children are precious to every parent, and getting the best care for your child in your absence is crucial. You may desire to stay home and take care of your child, but sometimes it is inevitable that you leave them in the care of someone else while you go about your business. Choosing a day care center is something that you need to consider carefully, so that your child gets the best care and you have complete peace of mind.
Check its reputation
Firstly, start looking for a day care at least six months prior. This gives you ample time to ask around and you can gauge how good their reputation is. Many parents will easily praise a good day care center, and as well, tell you if it has faults. The way they treat the children under their care, the staff and parents too, will either gain them a good or bad reputation. A good day care should be welcoming and go out of its way to make child and parent feel at home.
Make sure it is clean and safe for your child
A good day care center needs to be spotless and sanitized. The floor, walls, kitchen, washrooms should all be clean and disinfected on a regular basis to prevent the children from getting infections. The kitchen area needs to be set apart from the washroom area, and there should be a hand washing policy enforced, especially by the staff after doing diaper changes.
The toys used by the children should be in good repair and not broken or having loose pieces which could easily harm the children while at play. The place should be spacious too, and the toys should be always picked from the floor after use to ensure safety. It is very easy to fall over a toy and get injured.
Windows and balconies, especially if up the stair should be screened or barred and if any medicine or poisonous substances are available, they should be out of reach of the children. There should be smoke detectors fitted and radiators or heaters should be kept covered to prevent curious children from getting burns. Check for first aid kits and make sure to ask or check if they are fully equipped and make sure all possible child proofing measures are generally taken care of.
Highly qualified staff
The staff should be highly qualified to deal with children, which is the biggest advantage day care centers have over nannies, who do not always have training on how to deal with children. The day care staff should be well equipped and trained in order to effectively handle a child. Observe how the staff deals with the children. Young children need enthusiasm and gentle care. The staff needs to be trained in early childhood education, that way you are sure your child is getting the best care and education.
A curriculum that is stimulating
Go over the curriculum and do not be embarrassed to ask questions. Your child deserves the best care, and the day care should especially have in place a curriculum that stimulates a child’s mind. There should be plenty of time to read and play. The group and individual activities need to be interesting as children are easily distracted. Make sure that there is little TV activity, and if there is, it should be age appropriate, and educational.
Check their policies
You have to especially ask about the set ground rules that govern the center. It needs to be flexible and not too rigid in its rules as concerns the parents picking and dropping their children. It however has to have rules that dictate how emergencies are handled, plus also have set times that they operate on.
Your child deserves the best and if at all you are going to work and become a productive employee, then you need a good care center. You need not spend your day as a nervous wreck worrying about how well your child is being taken care of.