Daycare

 The facility director should be highly educated and demonstrate experience in early childhood education and/or academic administration. Check the company website for biographical information, and plan a tour, paying attention to framed degrees and certifications. 

 The classroom staff should be highly experienced and knowledgeable. Lead staff members should have education degrees/certifications. An additional quality to watch for is on-going staff training opportunities—consider how the organization is working with its staff to continuously improve experience and care. 

 Facilities should value each family’s privacy and child security. A quality organization will have clear and specific procedures for signing children into and out of the facility. Look for information on these procedures and indications that the policies are being followed (an active sign in/out book, access code use, etc). 

 If available, review website information regarding classroom curriculum to ensure lessons and planned activities are age appropriate. Once a few facilities have made it to the top of the list, parents may consider doing a “drop-in” (unscheduled visit) and request to review organic classroom activity. 

 During a drop-in, parents will want to observe the interactions between children and teachers/staff. Are the children generally happy? Do they talk freely and openly with teachers and staff, or do they seem overly timid? Child behavior is an honest indicator of classroom dynamics. 

 Children learn best through repetition and structure - this is why nursery rhymes are so effective! So, in the daycare setting, a scheduled routine is best to help children engage and understand their new setting. In addition to maintaining a schedule, the routine should be posted on the walls, along with other kid-friendly photo and text materials.

 Reading to children and allowing them to explore picture books is very important for cognitive and reading skills development. The classroom should have a comfortable and inviting reading area with age-appropriate books 

   Reading to children facilitates trust and bonding; additionally, “research has found that reading storybooks to children is one of the most important activities for developing the knowledge required for eventual success in reading. Reading to pre-schoolers has been found to be related to language growth, emergent literacy and reading achievement.” 

    It is important for children to see themselves represented in their setting. A high-quality facility will demonstrate racial and cultural diversity in reading materials, lessons, staff, and / or other children in the classroom.