Every parent’s guide to choosing a daycare center
A fifth of all-American kids are born to
working-moms and are put in the trust of daycare centers as their moms go to
work. But, as a mom, you need to find a daycare that you trust to watch over
your little one. With the thousands of centers at your disposal, it’s easy to
make a mistake or use ‘eeny, meeny, miny, mo..” to help you select. This guide,
however, will give you simple tips you can use to choose the best center for
your child.
1.
Consider the type of daycare
The American Academy of Pediatrics
classifies daycare centers in three main categories, chain centers, nonprofit
centers, and independent for-profit centers. Chain centers have a wide variety
of activities and programs, but they also have bigger numbers making them less
flexible in meeting every child’s individual needs. They will also not open
earlier and close later than their working hours.
Independent for-profit centers, on the
other hand, have smaller programs, staff, and are dependent on the enrollment
fee to run. They are quite excellent because they are built around one
individual, but they may experience setbacks if not enough kids enroll or when
the ownership changes. A nonprofit child
care center is linked with community centers, universities,
organizations, and churches. They allow discounts and put enrollment fees back
into the center, which benefits the kids. They have bigger programs and
activities. Weigh the three options and identify centers in your area that fit
within each category.
2.
Have a concrete search plan
Location, convenience, and cost are the
major factors parents use to determine if the center is worth their time or
not. However, you must remember that your child will spend most of his or her
day there, which makes the environment a strong contender. Read reviews about
each child care center you are considering and note what other parents think
about it. Look for genuine reviews as opposed to endorsements. Also, check if a
national organization accredits the center because it’s evidence that the
center has met voluntary
standards for children. In most cases, the standards are higher than
those of a licensed center.
3.
Visit the center
You may read a glowing review online, but
as the saying goes, seeing is always believing. Visiting the daycare center
will help you gauge the environment your child will be spending his/her days
in. Check if the center is clean if kids seem happy, and the ratio of
kids to caregivers. Also, prepare a list of comprehensive questions
you will ask the staff around the center’s education philosophy, discipline,
and emergency preparedness. Ask about staff turn-around, so you know if a
caregiver will stay with your child for at least a year.
Even when everything checks out, trust your
gut while deciding which center should care
for your child. A center that everyone in town talks about might
turn you off, and when that happens, trust your gut and keep searching. You are
not married to a particular center, so make the switch if you need to.
