5 Things to Check While Picking Up Child Daycare for Your Kid

A Story by Anil Jain

Are you a working parent(s)? Do you require someone to take care of your kid while you are at work? Well, then Daycare is definitely the answer to all your problems. As much caution.

Finding good quality childcare can be a difficult task for parents. There are lots of things to look out for and to remember to ask when you visit a childcare setting. How do you know if your child will be happy? Will they cater for your child's needs? Do they provide feedback about how your child is doing? What if my child doesn't like it?

Here’s a list of 5 things that should be considered before choosing the childcare for your kid:

1) Daycare Certificate

Everything requires a certificate or license from regulating authorities incase you are planning to run a business. It is of extreme importance to check on the credentials before you say a yes to the daycare service provider as the same is the foundation to your kids life. You wouldn’t want their health and life to be in jeopardy because of this mistake.

2) Staff Behavior

Kids are delicate and every word you say or even gesture can have a lasting impression on their minds. In their early years, babies need close, loving, interactive relationships with adults in order to thrive.

When you're visiting a potential site, pay attention to how the staff interacts with the children. Ideally, a caregiver should be on the floor playing with the kids or holding one on her lap. It’s especially important that babies' first caregivers be warm and responsive, and that even in group care, infants and older babies get a healthy dose of one-on-one time. (Though individual states set their own staffing ratios for child-care facilities, the American Academy of Pediatrics specifically recommends a ratio of one adult for every three babies up to 24 months of age.)

3) Safety

Do providers always place babies on their backs to sleep? Are sleeping areas clean and clear of potential distractions and hazards? Is a staff member with certified pediatric first aid training always present with each group of children? These are some of the things to keep an eye on when you visit a potential day care.

4) Sick Policy

Are children asked to stay home if they're sick? Will you be charged for days you need to keep your little one at home? It definitely turns into a bargain in most sick policy cases: You don't want sick kids around your kids, but you're likely going to be in a pinch if you have to keep your baby home for a runny nose. If you're not worried about a little immune system building, the more lax policies may not pose as much of a problem as having to stay home from work for a day or a week. Either way, if the facility doesn't have a clear plan and policy on sick kiddos, move on.

5) Curriculum and Parenting Style

The day care will take your place as caregiver when you're gone, it is imperative it enforces your basic rules in child development. Does it follow a similar feeding and sleeping schedule? What is its policy for TV watching? How do providers discipline your child?

If the daycare gets a check on these parameters then you have found your ideal daycare and your kid will have the best time.