Daycare Centers: Things to Look For » Parent Plaza

Before you search a daycare center for your child, check out several centers and do some extensive research and check their references. Daycare facilities range from wonderful to awful. You want to choose a center where you child can have fun, is safe and can develop as a person and develop a variety of skills.

Look for a daycare facility that provides activities such as dancing, storytelling and group singing sessions as well as providing creative projects. Daycare centers also provide an opportunity for children to socialize with other children.

Disadvantages of Daycare Centers

Typically at a daycare facility there is not enough staff for your child to receive the substantial amount of personal attention they would receive if they stayed at home with a babysitter. The chance of your child acquiring a cold or the flu or other communicable illnesses significantly increases. Some daycare facilities will not allow your child to stay at the facility if they notice your child is sick and you might have a difficult time finding a competent babysitter on short notice.

How to Select a Great Daycare Center

For convenience it is recommended that you try to find a quality center that is near your home or work. You have to decide if you want to place your child in a daycare facility that offers a small group environment or a center that had a large group of children.

It is very important to check with friends, your pediatrician and people you work with in order to get referrals for quality centers. Ask the managers of the centers that you are considering if they are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children or if they are accredited by the National Association of Family Childcare.

Ask the facility manager for information pertaining to the experience of the teachers, the food items they serve for lunch, the ratio of children to teacher. Find out if they offer a variety of activities and if they are flexible enough to meet your needs such as being a little late once in a while to pick up your child.

When you visit the daycare center which you are considering for your child make sure it is clean. See if the children enjoy interacting with the staff, find out if it will be warm during the cold months and check to see if the kids at the facility are having a good time. 

Check to see if they have furniture designed for safety for children and if the furniture is in good condition. It is advisable to visit the daycare centers when the parents will be there since this will provide you an opportunity to talk to them and find out if they are pleased with the center or are their kids primarily there due to the convenience of the location of the facility.

Take your child to the daycare center and see if he enjoys being with the staff as well as the children. Make sure the center has a license for operating a daycare facility from the city services department. Doing extensive research will improve the chances that you select a quality daycare center for your child.

For more tips about Finding a Great Daycare Center visit my blog at http://www.daycare-secrets.com. Find Local Daycare centers by visiting http://www.getlocalhelp.com.

Associated News Items

Harvey Gantt speaking here Thursday night (Salisbury Post)
Former Charlotte Mayor and City Councilman Harvey Gantt will speak at North Rowan Elementary School Thursday. Gantt, co-founder of Gantt Huberman Architects in Charlotte, will talk about positive parenting during the 7 p.m. PTA meeting. ...more

Parenting columnist John Rosemond to speak Nov. 6, 8 (Honolulu Advertiser)
Best-selling author and internationally-renowned speaker, John Rosemond, whose column on parenting runs in The Advertiser on Wednesdays, will give three parenting seminars on O'ahu next month. ...more

Sarkozy calls Paris riots unacceptable (AP via Yahoo! News)
Police patrolled Paris' troubled suburbs in force Wednesday night to watch for rioters who have torched buildings and cars in three nights of unrest, while President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed tough punishments for youths who shot at police. ...more

Young Lowell Soldier Mentoring Neighborhood Kids (WBZ Boston)
A young soldier from Lowell who rose above a troubled childhood to find self-confidence and success, is now determined to help other kids in his neighborhood do the same. ...more

Fathers' Parenting Style Linked To Childhood Obesity (Medical News Today)
Fathers may be more important than mothers in determining whether a child becomes overweight or obese, according to a ground-breaking new Australian study by the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. [click link for full article] ...more