When we were looking for a daycare for our kids I was thinking to myself - why do people sweat so much about which daycare to choose. All little ones need is to eat, sleep and play! Well, turns out that's not so true. Yes they need the three basic things - food, sleep and play - and some more. If I were to choose a daycare again below are the factors I would consider; and this is not to say that everyone should consider these. Each of us are different and every child is different. Your priorities and your child's need would determine what factors you need to look at. As you read through these, you can see if it is something that you would care for.
- Location: it was important to us that the daycare be close to our home so that either of us could drop/pick the kids from daycare. We are very glad that we did that. Time and again it has proved so beneficial to have it close-by. We don't have to sit in traffic and spend that time with the kids instead.
- Teacher retention: this is a big problem that plagues daycares - it's very difficult to retain teachers. So why does it matter if there's high attrition? It matters more than you think to your child. It takes time for kids to feel safe and secure with a teacher, once they do they only like to be with that teacher. If they get a new teacher, they have a very hard time. Even if it's for one day.
- Qualification of the teachers: it is good to have teachers who are qualified for the job. While it seems obvious that for any job you want people who are qualified for it, here's why this is important and not so obvious. Some people might think anybody can take care of kids. Yes and no. Yes they can take care of kids but not every one can make your child learn. Be it learning the alphabets, table manners, discipline, social behavior and so on. You want somebody who, when your child is misbehaving, can do more than just ask them not to do it. Who can help the child understand what they did wrong and what they can do better. Who also tries to understand where the child is coming from - which is the most important factor to help a child discipline. If disciplining your child is not high on your list, then I wouldn't worry about the qualification of the teachers all that much.
- Quality of food: some daycares have their own kitchen, some don't. Of those that have, some always serve healthy choices and made from scratch food, other don't. Some even ensure most of their food is organic. For us, having healthy food is very important. The daycare we picked does not serve sugary cereals, hardly any processed food and serves whole grain options. That was important for us as not only do kids spend half their day there but they also learn all the habits from there. They like the food that is served there so that food better be healthy.
- Curriculum: having a pre-defined curriculum helps. I'm always surprised at all the different topics they introduce to the kids every so often. The various activities that they do around each of these topics. Kids learn from their teachers the most. You could be teaching the same values at home but the moment the teachers teach that value - that is all they will be talking about.
- Talk to the director: you should definitely talk to the director to see if the values that you want for your child jives with vision that the director has for their daycare. It will also give you an insight into how committed/dedicated the director is towards their center. That is one person who can make or break a daycare.
- Outdoor playing area: again this is personal preference. We wanted our kids to have enough outdoor playing area so they could stretch themselves. Not just the area, but the schedule should also make sure that the kids get enough time to play outside.
You will find lots of articles and books that will talk about this topic. Some of the often mentioned factors listed in those like safety etc have not been listed above. I feel that might be concerns for a home based daycare, but if its a center based daycare with all the certification etc they would be conforming to the security/safety codes. Also, in my personal experience even after touring a few daycares I couldn't say whether one was secure or not. They all looked good enough to me - it could be that they were.
At the end of it, you need to decide what are the things that are most important to you and look for a daycare that satisfies those.
Also, once you do put your child into a daycare and have any concerns always raise them with the teacher/director. If you think your concerns are not being entertained then it is not the right daycare for you.
