10 top things to look for in a daycare

Posted by Thomas MallonMar 02, 20160 Comments

10 top things to look for in a daycare

A daycare is usually described as a lifesaver especially for parents with busy schedules. It is however worth noting that daycares can be just as dangerous and in order to avoid the dangers that come with using the wrong daycare, the following things should be looked out for.

Safety and Security

This is the most important thing to look for in every daycare as you want to be sure your kid is in a place that is safe and secure and only authorized persons are allowed to enter the building.

Warm and Responsive

The environment of the daycare should not only be safe, it should also be loving and responsive to the needs of your child or children as the case may be. An attentive parent can always sense if a daycare environment is warm.

Clean and Healthy

It is not uncommon to see unhealthy and dirty daycare centers and as a parent, the cleanliness of the environment you are leaving your child is important. Washing of hands and general hygiene should be encouraged by caregivers.

Stimulating and Dynamic

Children love to learn and have fun while they play. It is therefore important that children are able to read, interact, and learn in a fun environment with activities like running, throwing, and climbing integrated into their schedule.

Professionalism

Every staff of the center must possess the basic qualification required of a caregiver and you should check the qualifications to ensure your kids are in safe hands.

Respectful and Welcoming

Respect in this regard does not necessarily relate to you as the parent, but most importantly, to your language and culture. You also want an evironment that you are welcomed to visit as you wish.

Effective Communication

The daycare center should be able to effectively and consistently communicate with you as the parent of the child. The communication flow should also be regular to ensure parents are kept in the loop of recent developments.

Staffed

It is not enough to have qualified and well-experienced staff, it is also important that the center is optimally staffed to ensure kids are not abandoned at any point in time.

Recommended and Licensed

As it is popularly said, the best form of marketing is through references and daycare centers recommended by friends and family can be relied upon. It is however important to check for the accreditation of the center by relevant authorities.

The Hours

The aim of putting your child in a daycare is to help look after your child while you are busy with other things, it is therefore important that you look for a center that works within the hours that you are unavailable as all the features mentioned above will be almost useless if the daycare does not work when you need it most.

The features mentioned above are ten of the most important things to look for when selecting a daycare and every parent should always have them at the back of their mind.