Choosing a Daycare

Everyone knows that they want a safe daycare for their children. They want teachers who have passed backgrounds checks and health checks. But, there is more to choosing a quality daycare then this.

I always thought that I wanted to be a preschool teacher. I loved working with children and quickly decided to pursue child care at college. I observed at the daycare training center on campus and loved it. I would've sent my children there in a heartbeat. The center was bright, friendly, and innovative. Then, I got a job at a daycare center. I quickly changed my major knowing that I didn't want to do child care my whole life. When I was finishing up my graduate degree and looking for a job I landed in another daycare center. It appeared to be small, friendly, and clean. The director presented herself as very active in the daycare and they said that they had low turnover. They said they were hiring because of expansion. They were family owned and operated and seemed to love the children. It turns out that a lot of that was inaccurate and 6 months later I found myself looking for another job. But, I did leave with a better idea of what to look for in a quality daycare.

Observe the room for a day and check out the ones your child will be advancing to. In theory many schools want to follow positive discipline strategies. They may even have them in their policy book, but in practice they may be following something different. At the last place I worked at the parent policy book said that we didn't do time-outs, but I was quickly taught to use them. Also, stay for naptime and see how children are put to sleep. Is there soft music playing? Are the teachers helping the children sleep? How is the atmosphere? Also, are the kids engaged in activities? Do the teachers get down to the children's level and play with them? Is the ratio maintained at all times?

Ask specific discipline questions. What do they do when a toddler is biting? What do they do when a preschooler is biting? These should be different answers. Remember though that they may tell you what they know you want to hear and that is another advantage of visiting the classroom.

Ask to talk to the head teacher in the room. They are the ones who are going to be taking care of your child. You may love the director of the daycare, but the teacher is the one who you will be placing your child with. Ask them some of the same questions and see if the answers are the same. Ask them about their education, training, and experience. Ask them what they like least about the center.

Check all of the shelves. Are there developmentally appropriate toys? Are there enough toys for all the children to be busy? When observing, are the children engaged in play? Are there books displayed for easy selection? Are the books in season and taken care of? Ask them how often they rotate books and toys. A good daycare will update every week to fit the interests of the children.

Look for centers. Is there a science center with magnifying glasses, color wheels, and observation boxes? Is there a block area with many different people, vehicles, and animals? The more centers there are the more choices children have and the more they are likely to learn. Even baby and toddler rooms at daycares should have different areas for the children.

Look for child produced artwork. Is most of the artwork child created? Do all the pictures look different? Are the art projects more about the process with no right answer? Is there an art center open at all times for the children to play with?

Ask their policy on infant schedules. Ask this even if you don't have an infant because it tells you something about the school. One of the previous daycares I worked at wanted to stop giving the infants their morning naps at 5 months because then they would sleep longer in the afternoon. It turns out that the daycare was not very child focused and they tried to get them on schedules early. It wasn't designed to be about what was in the best interest of the children.

Look at the menu. Is it culturally diverse? How often does it change? Does it follow food pyramid recommendations? What is the policy on birthday treats?

Ask the turnover question and make them be specific. How long has each teacher been there? At one daycare center I worked at I was the 4^th preschool teacher in the10 months since they opened. The other rooms had three teachers who had been there since the beginning and one who had been there for 3 months. She was the 3^rd teacher in her spot. They told all the parents who came in that they had low turnover.

All daycares try hard to present themselves so that you want to bring your child there. It can be hard to see past the initial impression, but this is one time where it may not be OK to judge a book by its cover. It is important to not limit your impression to a 30 minute tour. Then, once you find the right daycare and enroll your children remember to take advantage of parent visits. Things change at daycares. Teachers leave, directors leave, and sometimes policies and practices change. Some people never want to move their child because they are afraid of the transition, but if your child is going through 4 teachers in a year then transitioning to a new place may be a better option. It may actually be in your child's best interest.

Choosing a daycare is hard work. There are a lot of things to consider and it can take a lot of time. It is important to remember what you want out of a daycare and to keep looking until you find something that fits your needs and desires. This is not a decision to be made lightly, but it is important to remember that this is something you are doing for your kids.