The young child whom you have taken care of since he/she was a baby will reach a time when you will need to let them leave your side should you be working. As young as age 3, they are considered old enough to enter pre-school. Most pre-school or kindergartens start a new semester in January annually.
Before you head out looking for a suitable day care centre, go online to information search or meet some of your parenting friends having kids in child care centers to find out on the quality centers within your area or close to your working place. Then, create a list of questions to ask during your visit to get a better picture of the place you’re about to send your offspring to. While doing so, always trust your guts instinct and intuition about the centre’s environment to ensure you do not make a wrong choice. Look out for signs of unhappiness among the children there.
The first thing to do upon reaching the daycare is to meet the management and enquire about its license, accreditation, health policy and their program goals, philosophies and mission states. Make clear on its hours of operations and the daily schedule. Most importantly, ask what would happen should you be late to pick your child and what would they do during emergencies before moving on to ask about the costs. Remember to ask what is included in the payment sum and will there be any fundraiser requirements annually or other extra fees for extra-curriculum activities e.g. field trips.
Thereafter, enquire about the staffs or teachers’ education background and their period of employment and get to know about the school’s background as well. Identify the supplies provided and things that you need to prepare for your child to bring daily. Don’t forget to add in and ask if you can drop in at any time or call to check on the status of your child during the starting period to be sure.
After enquiring, you should insist on being provided with a tour around the daycare to have a general idea of what’s going on. Ask yourselves about your feelings towards the environment and whether it’s comfortable and stress-less or suitable for children to be in. Observe the teachers attitude as well by listening to them and watching them handle the other children. Most importantly, see whether they practice good hygiene standards.
In any cases where you feel that you need more time to make a decision, do so. Do not jump to conclusions or make a hasty decision. When you have finalized your decision thoroughly, relax and just trust that you’ve made the right choice for your child and hope for the best.