Did you know over 4.8 million children attend a daycare facility as their primary child care?
If you’re ready to go back to work, choosing the best daycare center near you might seem like an impossible task. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a checklist to make the process easier.
Read on to learn what to look for in a child care school.
Consider the Experience of the Director
Although your children will spend most of their time with the daycare staff, you must be comfortable with the daycare director.
The experience, education, and values of the director will reflect on their staff. Before you visit a daycare facility, you should do some research to learn about the director’s biographical information.
Ensure the director’s values line up with yours.
Level of Qualifications of the Staff
Once you have learned about the education and background of the director, you need to move on to the classroom staff.
Every staff member needs extensive education and training, such as advanced childhood education degrees and other certifications. Ensure you learn about staff training programs and other certification opportunities.
Look At Children’s Eye-Level
As you tour daycare centers, ensure you pay attention to how the staff interacts with children. You must get down to eye level to see how the staff interacts with children.
Getting down to eye level will give you how the staff interacts and plays with the children. Pay attention to the activities, games, and how the staff handles particular situations.
Do They Have The Proper Licensing and Accreditations?
Before you can trust an infant daycare facility, you should ensure it has all the proper licensing and accreditations it needs to operate. Most prestigious daycare facilities seek accreditation from the NAEYC, NAC, and NECPA.
When you tour these facilities, ask about these and other accreditations they might have.
Sign-In and Other Safety Policies
Security is one of the main concerns parents have when touring a child care school. One of the most important things you need to ask is regarding their security policies.
How do they handle signing children in and out of the facility? Do they have a specific access code? Ask them to give you an overview of all the policies put in place to keep your children safe.
Is It a Diverse School Age Child Care Center?
It’s safe to say most daycare centers are credited and have excellent policies put in place. If you want to take it a step further, you should ask about the school’s racial, cultural, and diversity.
For many parents, their children must be in a culturally and diverse setting. Ask the daycare center how they support their diversity efforts.
Are You Ready to Choose the Best Child Care School?
Now that you know what to look for in a child care school, it’s time you make the best decision for your child.
When looking for school-age child care, you should consider the credentials of the staff, licensing and accreditation, and security policies.
Are you looking for an excellent child care school in the Austin area? Contact us today for more information.
