Childcare Centers

Choosing a Child Care Center

Unless you live in a very small area, you probably have many child care centers or day cares in your area. Now, you have to choose which one is right for you. There are several ways to go about this.

1. Ask relatives and friends about the childcare centers they use. Be sure and ask specific questions. Find out what they like about the center. Find out how their children respond to the childcare centers.
2. Talk to your baby's pediatrician, and ask for his or her recommendations.
3. Visit several daycare centers during the day. If possible, make these visits unannounced. You want to get a true picture of how the center is run. Take a list of questions along. If the daycare center's director seems uncomfortable answering your questions, keep looking!

Daycare Center Checklist

It is a good idea to make out a checklist before you begin visiting various child care centers. You can use the following list and add to it if necessary.

1. Does the center appear clean and well-kept both inside and out?
2. How long has the center been in business?
3. What type of state licensing does the center have? Check out the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care for more information on child care licensing.
4. Do the teachers have degrees in early or elementary childhood?
5. Are they certified in CPR?
6. What kind of training has the staff gone through?
7. What is the teacher/student ratio? Will your child get plenty of individualized attention?
8. Look at the kitchen. Does it appear clean? What type of rating has it gotten from the local health department?
9. Ask to see a daily menu. Do the meals appear well-balanced and nutritious?
10. Find out the guidelines and age limits for the children. Some childcare centers will not accept children until they are potty trained.
11. What type of sick child policy do they have in place?
12. How secure is the facility? Can anyone just walk in? Are the children properly supervised? How are children picked up from the center? Must they be signed out?
13. Are the children's daily schedules well-structured and stimulating?
14. What types of activities does the center feature. Are there plenty of age-appropriate books for all of the children. Are there lots of hands-on activities. Is the playground equipment in good condition?
15. Is there an outside playground, and if so, is it fenced securely?
16. What type of sleeping areas are provided? Do the baby beds follow the safety standards recommended by the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Organization to reduce the risk of SIDS?
17. How are emergencies handled?
18. Are the children supervised at all times?
19. What steps do the staff take to keep the environment as sanitary as possible? What is the center's procedures for hand-washing, handling foods, changing diapers, etc?
20. Where are lethal substances stored?
21. Are there common safety measures in place, such as medicines and other harmful substances locked out of harm's way, and outlets covered?
22. Are there fire extinguishers in the center, and how many exits are in the building?
23. If your child will be picked up by a daycare van, what are the center's procedures for ensuring that every child is taken off the van when it stops?

Finally, trust your gut instinct. Even if everything seems perfect, if you have a few lingering doubts about a childcare center, then keep looking! You can't be too careful when it comes to the care of your child! Also, the daycare center should be more than willing to provide good communication to you about your child's daily activities. If they don't want to do this, keep looking!

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