Finding Quality Childcare}

Finding Quality Childcare

by

Susan Ackermann

When looking for quality childcare there are many things to consider. This is one of the most important decisions you will need to make for your young child. According to the U.S Census Bureau, a typical week during spring 2011, 12.5 million (61%) of the 20.4 million children under age 5 in the United States were attending some type of regular child care arrangement. On average, children under the age of 5 will spend 33 hours per week in a childcare facility.

You must first consider the hours of operation. Most childcare centers are open Monday through Friday for approximately 12 hours per day. There are also part time programs which can often be found in local churches. Some facilities will offer weekend and evening care. You will also need to consider how you will be billed. Some facilities will charge a flat weekly rate whether your child attends full or half day. Some programs like the one I have been employed at for the past 20 years offer morning rates and extended care rates separately so you only pay for the days and times you actually need. You will need to decide what works for your specific situation.

Next to consider when looking for quality childcare is whether or not the facility has an open door policy. Of course there should always be rules in place for the protection of the children and staff but parents should always be welcome. A quality program should have nothing to hide and should take pride in showing off their program to the parents of their students and perspective students. If a childcare director insists on appointments or always notifying a teacher before entering a classroom with a parent, this could be cause for concern. I believe that childcare staff should always be expected to be kind and respectful to every child in their care. They should also be respectful to parents and each other. You will often get a sense of this when touring a school and when speaking to staff.

When visiting a center, you should see lots of activity. Children should not be expected to sit and listen for long periods of time. From my experience, children learn best from hands on opportunities. There are many programs that believe they are best because of the high expectations they set for their students and although I don’t believe this is in itself to be a bad thing, I do believe from my years of experience in an early childhood setting, it is more important to instill a love of learning at a very early age. Learning should be fun. Care givers should be energetic and motivating. Young children have a tremendous amount of energy and a well-trained teacher will do her best to help each child use this energy in constructive ways.

Safety is of utmost importance when looking for quality childcare. Facility doors should be kept locked at all times. No one should ever be able to enter the facility without the knowledge of staff. We recently had cameras installed at the facility where I work. The cameras allow me to see who is at the door before I decide if I am going to let them enter. I can also speak to them without even having to go to the door. There should also be written policies for releasing children each day. Each child should have paperwork listing the names of those allowed to pick up the child. Identification should always be checked when a person is unfamiliar to staff. A child should never be released to someone who is not on the approved pick up list. It is important to ask about these policies and procedures when looking for quality childcare. When considering safety, the environment itself should also be carefully surveyed. Look around for obvious dangers. Outlets should be covered, toys and materials should be age appropriate. Teacher-student ratios should be appropriate for each specific age group. The facility should be free from broken toys and equipment that could cause harm to a small child.

The cleanliness of the facility is also something to consider. This is necessary for the health of the children. Take a good look around when touring a school. You should be able to identify fairly quickly what is neglect and what is the result of a busy day.

As a director of a childcare facility, it is important to me that my program possess all of these listed qualities. I know from years of experience that this is what is important to parents looking for childcare. I speak to parents every day and I hear all of their compliments and concerns. A quality program should always strive to be better. As a mom of four, I can recall exactly what I was looking for in a childcare program many years ago. For me, it wasn’t about the academics, although this is important. I wanted a place where my children felt comfortable and were with care givers who were kind and loving. I wanted to know that my children were having fun in a safe, nurturing environment. I wanted a place that they loved coming to everyday.

U.S Department of Education

National Center for Educational Statistics (2015)

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com

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