Choosing the Right Childcare Center: A Guide for Sydney Parents
When your baby, infant or toddler is ready for preschool it’s an important decision-making time. Choosing the right childcare centre is so important because early childhood education has been shown to really impact a child’s performance in their early school years. Understanding your child’s needs and the types of childcare centres available in Sydney, giving consideration to the licensing and accreditation, staff qualifications and ratios, curriculum, reviews and performing due diligence regarding safety and hygiene, communication and visitations is so important to choosing the right childcare centre.
Your Child’s Needs
Knowing how much attention your child needs, any special needs and their preference of personality will help you to decide which centre you like best. Different childcare centres will cater to different kids differently, so be sure to ask lots of questions about the compatibility of any centre and your child during your investigation.
Types of Childcare Centres in Sydney
There are three primary types of childcare centres in Sydney. Each has their own approach to teaching an early childhood curriculum. Local council-run centres, private sole traders and franchises are the three types of preschools operating in Sydney, in addition to nannies, au pairs and babysitters. Availability will differ between these types, so be sure to apply early!
Accreditation
There is regulation stipulating the accreditation of early childcare centres in Australia. Both operators and staff require accreditation from NSW Education Standards Authority. You must check to ensure the childcare centre you are investigating is accredited.
Staff Qualifications
It might be important to you that the early childhood teachers minding your child have a certain level of education. You can ask about staff credentials when you interview at a centre.
Curriculum
As mentioned, different childcare centres will have a different approach to the early childhood curriculum. Early learning providers should generally advertise their teaching method as a component of their marketing. Be sure to learn about the method quickly so you can make your choice regarding the type of education your child will receive.
Reviews
Giving consideration to reviews about a childcare centre will come naturally to parents. Reading reviews is a fundamentally important thing to do because it gives testimony to the quality of child-minding at any preschool in Sydney.
Safety and Hygiene
During your first inspection of your child’s potential preschool you will gain insight into the level of cleanliness and tidiness. Preschools have a standard they must keep in order to operate and a cursory inspection should give you an idea of the quality of care the preschool building has been shown.
Communication
Most parents will require a high-frequency level of communication when their kid first begins preschool, particularly in the first few weeks. Take stock of the digital media channels of the preschool you are investigating as an indicator of how they approach communicating with parents.
Visitations
You must visit childcare centres before enrolling. Meeting coordinators and teachers is so important to making sure you choose the right preschool for your kid. It also allows you to see what will go on during the day, the level of cleanliness and tidiness of the centre and ask any questions you have about the qualifications of teachers and the curriculum.
Contact Robyn Taylor Today
In conclusion, be sure you understand your child’s needs and the types of childcare centres available in Sydney, give consideration to the licensing and accreditation, staff qualifications and ratios, curriculum, reviews and do your due diligence when evaluating safety and hygiene levels, communication and visitations to make sure you choose the right childcare centre for yoru child’s needs. Robyn Taylor is open to visitations, contact us to book a tour and ask any questions about our staff and the Robyn Taylor Early Learning Method.