Institutional child care facilities have received some bad press over the years. In some cases deservedly so, but not all day care centers should get a black mark. The ones that deserve their bad reputation are understaffed, over-enrolled and lack supervision. On the other hand, many of them are reputable and can provide your child with more resources for growth and more individual attention than they would receive at an in-home daycare center.

In order to avoid those bad eggs when placing your child in a facility, you must seek out those facilities that offer your child resources for growth and development along with a quality staff in the proper numbers.

State Licensing

All day care centers no matter what state they operate in are required toobtain and maintain a license from their state of operation. This is an important feature to look for as state certification involves safety issues such as fire safety measures and employee first aid and CPR training to give you peace of mind that your child is in safe hands at the very least.

Age-Appropriate Toys

The movie Toy Story 3 drove home the fact that age-appropriateness in toys is a key issue for the modern childcare provider. This does not mean the responsibility for the childcare provider ends with making sure that the toys are free of choking hazards and sharp edges, but additionally that children of all ages have access to toys and resources that allow them to engage in interactive play and gain knowledge of the world in which they live.

Open Play Spaces

If your living room looks anything like mine, it is cluttered with toys, clothes, chairs, books and a multitude of other necessary objects that are all part of having children. There is very little space in this living room for kids to run about and play.

When the kids are home, they can go crazy and run amok in the backyard, appropriately dressed for the weather, of course. Even the best child care centers cannot send the kids outside to play or take them to the beach. The kids will spend the majority of their day indoors. That indoor environment must be spacious enough to let the kids run reasonably free and feel comfortable whether they are moving around or just sitting still. This space must also be equipped to be appropriate for each child’s age level.

Caring, Qualified Staff and a Low Staff-to-Child Ratio

The most important component of any child care facility is the care they receive from the qualified, compassionate staff. Caregivers that are devoted to their work and have the time required to care properly for your child is the number one most important quality that you must look for in a day care facility. Those facilities that can supply this kind of staff for your child are the ones you should choose and the ones that will be successful.

Any thing less than the best for our children is, and should well be, unacceptable.

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Category: Education
Keywords: child care, early childhood education, thad pryor, education, childcare