If the thought of leaving your child with someone else makes you uncomfortable, then you are not alone. It is a big decision to take, especially if this is your first child. However, if you are planning to rejoin office, you have to make some considerations. According to research studies, about 70% of primary childcarers work outside their homes. This means that there are plenty of childcare facilities available, from daycare centres to nannies. The former is one of your best options because they offer trained and licensed caregivers who take care of your child. In this blog, we will explore how to choose a daycare centre for your child. Read on to find out more about Daycare Centres near me in Beckenham.
First, let us find out what a daycare centre is.
What is a daycare centre?
Daycare centres are facilities that provide part-time and full-time child care for working parents. These centres can be located in their own places, shopping centres, offices and schools. They may be run by private parties, non-profit organizations, community organizations and local councils.
Daycare centres are also known as child care centres as they are open from the early hours of the morning to the early hours of the evening. Such a centre typically operates from 7 am to 6 pm on weekdays and weekends. They are usually open for 48 weeks a year.
Daycare centres cater to children aged from 1 to 5. Each centre has children of different age groups receiving their care. According to state government regulations of Western Australia, there should be 1 caregiver for 5 children in a daycare centre.
Now, let us take a look at the signs of a great daycare centre.
5 signs of an amazing daycare centre are as follows :-
Positive reviews
Always look for positive reviews while looking for a daycare center. This doesn’t just mean online reviews but also word-of-mouth ones. You can find detailed reviews on childcare websites and parent groups on Facebook. You can go through the good reviews and ask the daycare centre to give you a few references you can talk to. Or you can simply ask your friends, family and co-workers to see which centre they recommend to you
.
A caring environment
After you get a list of daycare centres from the internet and your friends and family, you can start visiting them. You will feel the vibe of a great daycare centre as soon as you walk in. First impressions really matter when it comes to daycare centres. Look around you and notice everything carefully. Notice how the people are working and whether the children seem engaged and happy. Does it feel like a fun space? Do the infants have plenty of space to crawl around? Are the caregivers and educators friendly with the children? If the daycare centre ticks off all these boxes, then you can go for it without any hesitation.
A varied curriculum
The type of curriculum you wish for really depends on what you want for your child. Do you want them to be under a strict schedule? Or do you want them to have a flexible schedule? Or would you prefer a daycare centre that is more like a school? Whatever your needs are, a good daycare centre will always meet them. By building strong relationships from the start, you can prepare your child for the future.
Trained caregivers
It’s easy to assess children but it’s not so easy to understand adults. This is why you have to take care of a few things. Firstly, you have to make sure that they have all the training and certification needed to be in their position. They should have early childhood development degrees and 2 years of college. Secondly, they should be trained in emergency life-saving methods like CPR.
Now, let’s come to how to observe the caregivers. Watch how they interact with children and notice their body language. They should be talking to children at their eye level and that means they should be crouching down to meet the child. This will tell you whether the caregiver understands their job and does it with dedication and honesty.
Safety
This is the most important sign of a great daycare centre. This includes things like well-maintained play space, food safety and childproofing.
A child-proofed daycare centre will have the following:
· A cover for every outlet
· Cribs out of reach of windows
· Window blinds out of reach of children
· Stairs blocked with a small gate meant for children
· High chairs and changing tables fastened with straps
· Sanitized and well-maintained toys
· No objects that the children could pick up and choke on
· Secured cleaning supplies and medicines
Conclusion
So, this was all about the signs of a great daycare centre. To have the best experience you need to find an experienced and licensed daycare centre. If you are looking for such a centre, you can get in touch with Caterpillar Club House. They also provide Early Learning Centre in Beckenham.
Comments