Choosing Day Care: Evaluate your options

Your priority at this point in your evaluation is to find the available day care in the market that best meet your needs. You can save a lot of time during this activity by quickly eliminating any day care that is unsuitable because it didn't meet your key requirements. For example, if you have a limited budget for childcare, then you can ignore any choices that clearly exceed your price limit.

It is very important to visit the day care center in order to get a good feel for the facility and the staff. When you visit, pay attention to the condition of the facility. It should be well cared for with the lawn mowed and gardens free from weeds and garbage. A quick look around will help you determine if there is regular maintenance on the building. See whether it is in need of a paint job, or whether the carpets should be cleaned.

Tip: Trust your first impressions. If the facility is not well cared for, there may be safety hazards. The state of the facility can tell you a lot about the day care center.

If your child has specific dietary considerations be sure that the staff at the day care center will cater to those considerations. Check whether meals are included with the fees. You may be required to register separately for the meal program or pack food for your child. See if there is an allergy policy in place at the facility, as many centers will not allow peanut products or other foods if there are children with specific allergies.

If meals are provided, ask for a sample menu. Each day care center will have its own policy regarding food. Some will serve what they call “child friendly” food, which may be heavily processed foods. If healthy meals are important to you, be sure to get a copy of the menus and foods offered.

It is also important that the food preparation area is clean and sanitary. Check to see if the area is separate from the primary care area. Are utensils and other equipment locked away? Make sure that the food area is clean and safe.

Tip: If the eating area is in the primary play area, check to see if the center disinfects the tables prior to mealtime.

The staff at the day care center should be a primary consideration. When you visit the facility, spend some time observing the staff. Watch how well do they interact with the children, and how the kids react to them. You can tell a lot about the staff by the way that the children react to them and around them. It is also important that the staff have the proper certifications. These will vary from area to area. Check with your local government to see what the requirements are in your area.

Safety is another primary consideration for any day care center. Each area should be properly child proofed and age appropriate. In the toddler area there should be no sharp objects, or sharp corners on the tables or furniture. Proper child proofing practices should be in place.

In a day care center there is often a wide range in the ages of the children. The day care center should have separate rooms for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and school aged children as these children all have special needs. The toys in each area should be age appropriate.

Tip: Ask the staff about how they separate the children. What ages or behavior guidelines they use to determine what room children should be in.

Does the facility have guidelines regarding the types of activities that the children participate in? Ask if you can have a copy of their guidelines. Most childcare centers will have a written policy or guideline regarding what activities the children will be doing and when. Some facilities will even offer themed months with activities based around a theme or topic.

Take a look at the toys in the facility. See whether they are clean and well cared for. Ask the staff what their policy is regarding cleaning the toys and how they monitor for broken toys that may pose a hazard.

The cost of the day care center should also be considered. There should be a contract that both of you enter into. The contract should have a clause about raising the fees, and what to do if you will be late to pick up your child. There may be extra fees involved if you are late.

Tip: After visiting a day care center on your own, take your child to see how he or she reacts to the environment, the staff and the other children. How your child reacts is a good gauge for you to determine if the facility is a good fit for you and your child.

When you were considering your requirements in day care it's likely that you singled out certain factors such as reputation, activities, location, staff experience and cost as being of major significance. As with so many other buying choices, the more features offered, the higher the price. Buyz123 has created a checklist containing examples of major features of day care centers; you can work from this checklist when evaluating how well various choices meet your personal needs:

Features Checklist

Facility

Up keep of building - age of facility, chipping paint, cracks in sidewalks etc.
Outdoor space - fenced, grass, concrete, near roads
Indoor space - gym, carpeted,
Safety considerations - sharp edges, locks, childproofing
Food preparation area - separate area, food stored properly, clean
Separate rooms - baby, toddler, school aged areas

Food

Snacks provided - healthy, how many, snack foods, menu planning
Parent brought snacks - guidelines for acceptable foods
Healthy meals - food groups, options
Allergy policies - peanut free, milk free, etc.; guidelines

Staff

Government certified
Emergency training - CPR, Basic
Licensed - appropriate certifications
Experience levels - number of years, types of babysitting, background
Child to staff ratio - 5:1, standardized
Background checks - criminal records
Immunizations - health testing

Healthy and Safety

Policies - clearly posted, families and staff aware
Room temperatures - comfortable, no excessive air conditioning or heat
First aid kit - visible, one in every room,
Toys - age appropriate, non-toxic
Hand washing - stations, encouraged and practiced

Behavior

Discipline - time outs, corporal, loss of privileges
Acceptable behavior - definition
Rules - clearly posted, explained to family and child, copy of rules

Activities

Outings - playground, field trips, all seasons
Crafts - age appropriate, structured
Free play - supervised, engaged staff
Nap time - length 30 to 60 minutes
Number of eating times - 2 to 4
Length of activities - 30 - 60 minutes, how many

Toys

Educational
Variety - rotated, always the same
Cleaning schedule - 1 to 2 times a month
Age appropriate
Safe - non-toxic, aware of recalls
Well cared for

Emergency Procedures

Fire - meeting place, adequate shelter, sprinklers, alarms
Contact person
Contact number

Fees

Schedule - monthly, bi-weekly
Late fees - pick up time
Fee changes - written notice

Paperwork

Contract - signed, verbal, cancellation policy
Guidelines - behavior, daily activities, menus
Program - schedule, weekly, monthly

Day Care types

State sponsored child care centers
Commercial day cares
Private family day cares
Preschool
Recreation centers
After school homework help centers

Care Emphasis

Educational/preschool type of care
Traditional care (i.e. the child's basic needs are met, and there is a lot of supervised play)
A bigger day care or preschool type of center is more likely to send your child home if they are sick.
Traditional daycares (inside a person's private home) are more likely to watch your child even when ill.

Potential Qualifications to Look for

Background checked
CPR Certified
First Aid Certified
College educated
Certified teacher
Early Childhood Education credits
Tutor experience
Baby or Newborn experience
Experience with older children
Letters of recommendation, testimonials

Potential Staff Qualities

Outgoing
Quiet
Patient
Demonstrated affection for children
Sense of humor
Steady
Someone who is friendly towards the primary parental contact
Experienced

Warning signs

Staff uneasy around your children
Complaints about the day care
A high turnover rate for the day care staff
A high turnover rate for the families that use the service

There are a lot of features listed here, and some of them may not be relevant to your particular requirements. So, work your way through the list and assess how each of these features impact on your day care needs. You can then create a personalized checklist of the features you really require in childcare.

Once you have finished evaluating the day care available in the light of your personal needs and arrived at a short-list of 'possibles' you are ready to progress to the next stage. This involves comparing the day care options one-on-one in order to find those that really stand out.

Evaluate how well Day Care compares with competing Day Care

Comparing the centers on your interim short-list, one to another, is an important part of the selection process - we all want to choose the best care we possibly can. So once you have established a short-list of centers that meet your needs it is time to evaluate how well they compare in fine detail. This way you can assemble a select list of choices that stand out.

Questions to ask yourself:

Which day care on my short-list offers the best value for money?
Which of these best meet my needs?
Which day care is the easiest to get to?
Which seems of the highest quality?
Which short-listed center has the most experienced staff?
Which childcare do I like best?

By answering these simple questions, you are actually eliminating day care options that aren't absolutely right for you.

Once you've worked through the Evaluation step you will have a final short-list of day care that meet your needs and stand out from competing centers on the market. It's time then to move on to the third and final step: Purchase.

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Costs

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Australian average day care fees

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Day care and the associated costs