Posted on October 18, 2007 in Childcare Basics
Work is becoming a priority for most homes and families in recent times. Balancing both is a challenge that most parents face today. Before considering day care facilities for your infant, it is very important for parents to look into various formal and informal day care operations. These tips can help parents decide the right options available for them.
Infant DayCare Tips For Parents:
- Every day care centre or home-based day care that you visit should have a license. For in-home care providers, for example, five years of references is important.
- Talk with parents of children previously or currently cared for at that day care centre.
- Look for experience and hiring qualifications of the centre.
- Check for the rates of turnover for caregivers.
- Check whether you can make unscheduled visits to the child daycare centre.
- Make sure there are not more than three to four children per one adult caregiver for groups of children aged below two years. From two years old and above, the ratio can be five to seven per one adult caregiver.
- Look into the policies of the day care providers. Ensure that they have policies for various illness, infection, immunization or exclusion of sick children and whether you need to inform them of any contagious disease that your child may be suffering from.
- You need to look into the infrastructure of the centre, how well are the facilities implemented and the hygiene and sanitation conditions.
- Also look into the safety measures like, whether the necessary smoke alarms and fire distinguishers are provided for, and that the building has been recently inspected or not. This means to ensure that there are contingent plans to handle emergencies and accidents if any.
- Be satisfied that what you want to provide for your infant is available in the day care centre and that all your expectations are met with.
- Look into the daily schedule and choose as to what type of environment you would want your child to grow in. For example, a structured or open environment, or a socializing pattern of growth and development where play is involved or a learning environment where you want your child to gain independence, etc.
- Incase your child is suffering from disorders, disabilities, allergies or trauma; you need to see whether the day care centre is well-equipped to handle such special needs.
Problems of attachment, effects of early separation, parent characteristics and family circumstances contribute to insecurities in children. Qualitative standards can be achieved by day care infant providers, only when these critical issues are addressed by policymakers, care providers and parents. Research shows that, most parents consider daycare facilities on the basis of cost and availability. But it is for you as parents, to judge the standards of development for your child.
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April 16th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Ages two and above can have a ratio of 1 teacher to 11 children. Noone is going to find a daycare with a low ratio as stated above “Make sure there are not more than three to four children per one adult caregiver for groups of children aged below two years. From two years old and above, the ratio can be five to seven per one adult caregiver.”
. As a daycare Director I think this statement is inaccurate and cannot be given to any parent.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Now everyone is talking about the American economy and eclections, nice to read something different. Eugene