Six Steps to Choosing the Right Child Care

Step 1 - Do Your Homework
Step 2 - Take A Field Trip
Step 3 - Ask Questions
Step 4 - Develop Your Own Criteria
Step 5 - Trust Your Instincts
Step 6 - Sign Up and Sign On

Step 1 - Do Your Homework

Talk to friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  Talk to early childhood program directors and development experts.  Find out everything you can about the child care programs in your area.  

Where they're located.

How much they cost.

Whether or not they are accredited.

What types of programs they offer.

How long they've been around.

Which program are considered good and why.

 

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Step 2 - Take a Field Trip

Take several field trips.  Arrange to go into their classrooms and observe.  Watch the way the teachers interact with the children.  And Listen.  

Do you hear sounds of children and teachers working together and making new discoveries?  

Do the children seem happy and active?  

Are they involved in a variety of activities? 

Are both teachers and children enjoying themselves?

 

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Step 3 - Ask Questions

And lots of them.  

How are teachers selected and trained?  

What is their philosophy about  potty-training, biting, discipline, and nap-time?  

What are their nutritional and health guidelines? 

How often they communicate with parents?  

Do they encourage parental visits and involvement?  

Perhaps, most importantly, ask yourself if you would like to spend your day here.

 

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Step 4 - Develop Your Own Criteria

What do you look for in a child care program? 

What does your child need?  

A program which incorporates a particular religion into its curriculum? 

A program which offers a variety of extra-curricular activities?  

A program which teaches children according to a specific lesson plan ¾ or which allows the children to learn and explore things according to their individual interests?

 

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Step 5 - Trust Your Instincts

Let's face it, good parenting is as much about trusting your instincts as it is about hard facts. So before you make your choice, think about this: 

How do you feel about the program you are considering?

Do you agree with the program's philosophy and approach? 

When you visited the classrooms, did you feel excited about what your child could learn there?  

Did what you see and hear make you smile and feel reassured?  

If you were a child, would you want to go there everyday?  

It is also important to ask yourself if your child care provider is abiding by standards.  

All licensed child care providers have a variety of minimum standards they must abide by.  Accredited child care providers voluntarily exceed those standards to meet more stringent criteria established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) or the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). NAEYC and NAFCC accredited programs require their teachers to participate in on-going child development training, regardless of prior experience.  This ensures a better understanding of your child's needs at the various stages of their lives.

Generally speaking, accredited child care program have lower child/teacher ratios, which means each child receives more attention and better supervision.  Their curriculum is more comprehensive and diverse.  They encourage parental involvement in all aspects of their programs and require parents to complete a written evaluation of the program on a periodic basis.  And these programs have undergone in-depth self-assessments, independent observation, and approval by professional experts before receiving their final endorsement and accreditation by the national organizations. 

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Step 6 - Sign Up and Sign On

Once you find the right child care program, register your child as quickly as possible ¾ most of the best child care programs fill up fast.  Get involved by asking about opportunities to volunteer in the classroom.  Stop by and have lunch with your child from time-to-time.  bring a new book to read to your child's class.  It's not only a great way to be a part of your child's early education, but a way to make sure that the program continues to make the grade ¾ for you and your child.  

For more information on child care program in your area, call Smart Start at 1-800-332-3264 or 210-65-SMART (210-657-6278).

 

 
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