Selecting a Day Care

It is important to consider your child’s personal needs when making a day care choice. Working parents today have more, good-quality child care options than were generally available a few years ago. A day care center, either privately-owned or part of a national chain, is a common child care option.

What are the factors that are important to you in your job? Your child has the same needs and desires in how they spend their day: comfort, safety, being treated with respect, rules and systems that are clear and consistently applied. There are a few things you might want to check out before making a decision to place a child in a day care center. Even if you just love the first center you visit, check out several. Each one has a different “personality” and it’s so important to find the center that’s the best fit for your child.

Day Care Cost

What are the hourly/daily/weekly rates charged by the day care center? Do they allow parents to pay for partial days, or will you be charged for a full day even if your child is not there (doctor appointment, etc.)? Are you required to pay for holidays when the day care center is closed? Are you expected to pay for weeks your family is on vacation and your child does not attend? What other fees are charged, i.e. for diapers, nap time mat, etc.?

Location, Location, Location

Consider the location of the day care center. Is it convenient to your home or work or will you need to build in extra time in your morning and afternoon routines to pick your child? Do the grounds look well-kept? Is the parking lot adequate to ensure safe entrance and exit by cars? Is it easy to maneuver in and out of the day care center and parking lot with a child (or two) in tow?

Hours of Operation

What are the hours of operation of the day care center? Does the day care center open up early enough in the morning and stay open late enough in the afternoon for you to get to work on time and allow you to work to the end of your scheduled shift? Is there an extra charge if you are late picking up your child?

Take a Tour of the Day Care Center

Tour the entire day care center-not just the room(s) where your child will be placed. Visit at least one room for each age-level. Ask how many total children are on the role for your child’s potential class (including part-time and drop-ins). What is child-to-adult ratio in the room? (More adults per child than required by law would be wonderful, but is not common.) What criteria are used by the day care center to determine in which class a child will be placed? Are they grouped by age, by academic level, or other criteria?

View the bathroom and/or diaper changing facilities at the day care center. Is there a bathroom in each classroom? Is it monitored by an adult when in use? How is diaper changing handled, and where, by whom?

Ask if you can spend unsupervised time observing your child’s potential classroom. Observe the interaction between the teacher and students and between the students with each other.

Does the classroom look “kid friendly”? Are toys easily accessible and organized? Is the children’s artwork displayed throughout the classroom?

Meals and Snacks

Find out the lunch time/snack time procedures at the day care center. Is a weekly or monthly menu posted or sent home to parents? What if your child has food allergies? Is there a cafeteria? Do the children eat in their own classroom? Who prepares/serves the food? Ask to see the kitchen.

Nap Time

If your child will be at the day care center for nap time, find out if each child has a designated bed/mat/cot that is not shared with other children throughout the week. Is your child allowed to bring a stuffed animal of blanket from home for nap time? How long is nap time? What if your child doesn’t take a nap at home?

Teacher Credentials

How long has your child’s potential teacher worked at that day care center? What are the teacher’s background, education and training? What are the hours the classroom teacher works? Will you have an opportunity to talk to the teacher each day, either in the morning or the afternoon?

Once Your Child Is Enrolled

After a few days your child should feel relatively comfortable in the day care center. Talk to your child about specific activities they did at art time, circle time, during free play each day. After a month or so, does your child seem to be relaxed and happy when you arrive at the day care center to pick him/her up in the evening? Does your child look forward to going to the day care center (beyond the normal separation anxiety, sleepiness, etc.)? Does the teacher greet your child by name? Do they greet you by name?

Drop in at the day care center from time to time without an appointment. It’s your right and your responsibility to be sure your child is happy, healthy, and well-cared for. You’ll feel much better knowing your child is in a setting they enjoy. If you have concerns about anything you see or hear or your child reports, address it immediately with the teacher or day care center director.