As you search for quality child care centers to enroll your little one, what should you look for in a quality child care center?
Quality Child Care Center Safety
One of the biggest concerns for any parent as the parent searches for a caretaker or professional child care center will be safety. How secure is the child care center? Have the rooms been childproofed in order to keep your child’s curious fingers away from dangerous areas? You can have a lot of these questions answered if you visit the child care center before enrolling your child. Taking the time for a visit before enrolling your child can give you peace of mind.
Training of Child Care Center Employees
As you look at different child care centers, you will want to make sure you figure out what credentials the caretakers have. How much training does each staff member have? What types of screenings do employees have to pass to work with your children? The more information you find on the expertise and safety training of the child care center staff, the more at ease you will feel when the day comes to drop your child off at a daycare center for the first time.
Quality Child Care Curriculum
As you search through child care centers in your area, you may find that different after-school programs and pre-kindergarten programs focus on different areas of your child’s development. You will want to find a child care center that has programs that fall in line with what you want your child to learn.
At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, we focus on building your child’s physical, cognitive and social development. We not only socialize your child and help nurture a sense of play and curiosity, but we also make sure that your child is learning what she needs to at her age. Children Central Child Care Programs use the HighReach Learning Curriculum, which is aligned with Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. Our comprehensive curriculum was developed by using the best practices in early childhood education, and our curriculum encourages learning through guided play and active discovery!
Children Central Child Care and Learning Center
At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, our staff is highly trained and meticulously screened so you know your child is in safe and qualified care. Children Central staff members all have Child Abuse Clearance, Criminal Background Clearance, FBI Fingerprint Clearance, and a Health Assessment Clearance that includes a Tuberculosis screening and a physical exam every two years. Children Central staff members also have multiple character references, so you can rest assured that we have only the best caretakers at Children Central!
Our Children Central employees have Pediatric First Aid Training, CPR Training, and Fire Safety Training. We take pride in telling our parents at Children Central that Children Central staff members also all have 24 hours of professional training. A large percentage of our staff has earned degrees in early childhood education, which is how Children Central has a Keystone STARS 4 Rating!
If you would like to learn more about who leads your child’s specific daycare program, meet our staff and read any specific staff member’s biography! We look forward to meeting you and being a part of your child’s early years as she grows up!
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You mentioned that as you look at different child care centers, you will want to make sure you figure out what credentials the caretakers have. Are most child care employees required to have some sort of trainer or license? My sister has been applying for a new job that will require her to need a babysitter or some kind of childcare. Finding a facility with employees that have proper training could be very beneficial.
I want to find a good daycare center for my child. I’ll make sure that I check for a place that is safe. I wouldn’t want them to be in an unsafe facility!
Some helpful tips for choosing a right child care center for your kids. Thanks for sharing this info. I would certainly keep these things in mind and tell my friends and family too. Child care safety should be the first priority while selecting a child care center.
Hi Derek,
Child care centers require both state clearances and proof of degree. Children Central requires a health assessment done within a year of the hiring date that includes a physical and TB test and the doctor needs to complete the state form. Additionally, state clearances include: FBI fingerprint test, Child Abuse, and Criminal background. We also require proof of degree, meaning we need to verify a degree and/or school transcripts. Children Central also requires that our teachers all have pediatric first aide and CPR training and two letters of reference. We also will check references.
We have closed circuit cameras in all of our classrooms that allows us to monitor the classrooms throughout the day. We have three people (2 owners and Director) in Administration who are present at the school full-time to make sure all runs smoothly, as our families know we are here to support the teachers and families throughout the entire day. If anyone should have any issues, or anything to discuss, we are here for the families all day long until we close at 6:30PM.
Derek,
I should restate that only the BEST child care centers require both state clearances and proof of degree, as well as all of the variables I mentioned previously. Not all do what they truly should. That is why it is important to ask many questions when you visit a preschool.
I never would have thought about looking into the training of the child care center employees. As you say, this will help you ensure that the facility has the right credentials. That being said, I would even look into facilities that only hire employees that have college degrees. This shows that extensive training and learning has been done and that your child will be in the care of competent, experienced, and mature adults. Thank you for sharing!
I have been looking for a good child care place for a long time. My son needs to spend some time there, so thanks for the tips. I hadn’t thought about looking at the training the child care employees go through, but that makes sense!
You mentioned asking how much training the child care employees had, and what kind of screenings they do before hiring. My sister is looking for a child care center for her daughter. Knowing that the employees are professional, and know how to properly keep your kids safe could definitely relieve my sister of any worries she had about leaving her daughter.
I really like that you bring up the curriculum as something to look for when choosing a day care center. After all, while it is fine to choose a daycare based on how much fun your kid will have, it should not be the only criteria to look at. You want to make sure that the daycare you choose will be able to provide a good education to help stimulate your child’s brain as they grow.