How To Choose A Child Care Centre For Your Family
Which is the Best Daycare Near Me?
When the time comes to say goodbye to your children for the first time, many parents experience sadness, stress and worry. Helping your children embark on their journey to eventual maturity is a task mapped with choices and decisions that play a big role on your child’s development. Before the point comes where you say goodbye, there is a long stretch of time spent interviewing, touring and deciding which is the best day care near you. In this post we try to help you make the best decision when it comes to choosing a day care centre for your child or children. We outline how to take your first steps, what questions to ask and how to make sure you choose the right childcare.
Do Your Research – A lot of parents need additional help supporting their child as life’s commitments make time unavailable. Most parents will look in their local area for a preschool and there are often a few to choose from. Ask friends in your area for recommendations, or ask at the local pediatric clinic which centre they recommend. Another stellar way to discern the quality of care your child will receive during their early childhood education is to check online and to read reviews and testimonials left by other parents.
Interview Early Learning Centres – By calling and asking for an appointment to ask some questions about the centre, you can gage to some degree if they’re the right people for you. Check to see how available they are to speak to you and whether they seem calm and relaxed or overwhelmed. Ask questions about price, accreditation, waiting lists, emergency response plans and child care routine (including meals) during your first point of contact. The answers to your questions will help you decide if they’re the right child care centre or not for you.
Visit the Centre in Person – This is an absolutely essential stage of the childcare selection process. You should have narrowed down your choices to a couple or few at this point. Check out the childcare centres you were interested in while talking on the phone in person to see if they fulfill your expectations. If something is amiss, trust your gut and move on to inspect the next centre. It may even be worth dropping by unannounced to see what the centre looks like during its hours of operation.
Check References – Similar to your preliminary research, it’s worth investigating reviews and quality ratings further to make sure that your decision to choose your childcare centre is correct. Ask for the contact details of parents who have previously enrolled at the centre you’re interested in. Google the business and see what rating they have been given by previous parents. All of this is important to making the right choice.
Check Accrediation – It’s so important to make sure your young children are being looked after by someone who has studied and passed certification requirements in early childhood care. Ask the centres you’re interviewing what their hiring policy is in terms of holding a degree or other certification.
The Robyn Taylor Croydon Early Childcare Centre is run by one of the best educational psychologists in Sydney. Our quality early education centre in Sydney offers a national quality framework to foster each child’s cognitive abilities, emotional resilience, sense of stability and motivation. Contact us to book a tour or to ask any questions about our long day care service. We look forward to speaking to you soon.