5 things to look for in a Day Care Center

When it comes to our children, we consider a number of things before finalizing on one. The Day Care Center is an important step in your child’s life! Your child will be spending most of his/her time there every day and it is paramount that the situation there is nurturing and welcoming for the child. This age is when a child can easily grab hold of information and be influenced by it.

Here are a few important things to look out for before choosing a Day Care Center for your child.

Safety and licensing

The first and the foremost step is to check for the safety of the center. A tour of the center will reveal most of its flaws but few details have to be found out by an inquisitive parent. Make sure that there is a certified pediatrician at the disposal of the Day Care Center. Check for the cleanliness and the attentiveness of the staff.

Licensing comes next and the accreditation from NAYEC is a sign of reliability. Check for certified CPR trained staff at the center. You can also read through reviews of these care centers on sites like Care.com or Sulekha Care Services.

Staff - child ratio

No matter how good the infrastructure is, children can be quite a handful! It is always best to go for a center that has more watchful eyes. An ideal ratio would be 1 staff for every 5 children who are less than 3 years old. The older the children, the higher the ratio can be but always prefer the one with more staff.

Curriculum

No matter what age group a Day Care Center caters to, there is always a style of the curriculum even if is at play. For kids less than 3 years old, the feeding and sleeping schedule is something to be looked into. For older children, one has to look at what type of teaching and extracurricular activities have been planned. Daycare centers also play a major role in potty-training! Other important questions would include how children are disciplined.

Transport

Many Child Care Centers provide shuttle services to transport children to and from home. Make sure that vehicles are properly maintained and operated by certified drivers. For vehicles carrying more than 10 children, the right certification has to be got by the center and displayed on the vehicle as a sticker.

Visiting policies

Children are prone to fall sick when away from their parents for the first time. Also, some children can easily get homesick or feel lost during their stay at the day care center. Check with your Day Care Center if they have an open door policy and inform them to give you a ring if the child is prone to throwing a tantrum on separation. Also, check if the timings are in sync with your work timings and does not make it harder for you to juggle between work and your kid at the day care center.