For many of us, our personal or professional life prevents us from looking after our kids round the clock. If you fall into this category, consider enrolling your little one in a childcare facility with experienced providers close to your home or workplace.
Keep in mind, facilities with the lowest fee aren’t always the most cost-effective. Also, the costliest facilities may not be the best as well.
The best ones follow established standards in the supervision of kids, food preparation, privacy, and cleanliness. If you’re planning to enroll your kid in a childcare center, it’s essential to consider the provider’s experience by following these tips:
Check the Training and Qualifications
Find out if the providers have recently received any additional training. Also, ask if outside experts offer training at the facility.
You should consider the qualifications of the providers to include their experience, training, and education.
Know the Experience Level
Determine how many years the staffs have worked for at the facility. Understand the level of experience they have in training kids.
Ask how long the child care provider has worked in the industry, and whether they’re certified in CPR.
Know about Accreditation / Licensing
Make sure the provider is registered or licensed with the proper local government agencies. Also, find out if the child care provider has previous or pending violations.
Check whether the facility is currently accredited or is going to be certified soon. This is important to make sure your child can benefit from the skills and experience of an expert childcare service provider.
Check the Kind of Childcare Services they’re Offering
Today, you can choose from many different forms of childcare services. However, find out what kind of care is ideal for your child’s needs before making your choice.
Generally, childcare can be classified into the following types:
- Occasional Care
- Family Day Care
- Nanny Service
- Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)
- Au Pair
- Informal care through family & friends
NQS (National Quality Standards) Rating
Every childcare facility is rated against the National Quality Standards. It is a requirement that is publicly displayed.
This is a strict assessment process rating every service across many important areas, all of which are developed particularly to serve as a benchmark for the high-quality care of services and education. Furthermore, find out whether the educator is associated with a facility that has got The National Quality Standards Rating.
Know About the Certification of Providers
Find out whether the childcare provider is certified or not. In many facilities, educators, as well as staffs, should have valid certification and courses to enhance or upgrade their skills.
These centers often keep these certificates out on display in the offices or common areas of workplaces. You should check the license as well as the certificates of the childcare provider.
Know whether the educator has the necessary qualifications to work in day homes or daycare centers.
In most daycare centers, a minimum of one provider at the facility needs to have a First Aid certification. Similarly, many experienced childcare service providers help their staffs ensure their credentials always stay up-to-date.
Although this is not a requirement by a few licensing bodies, make sure you have knowledge of your state’s certification requirements.
