quick-fingersFinding a Daycare is Important
According to The Washington Post, a study that has been conducted since 1991, shows that "obedience and academic problems among those who received low-quality care in their first 4 1/2 years of life persisted through their 15th birthdays" (Stein par. 2).
This is a pretty damaging statement, but is a logical one. For working parents, day-care is usually the only option. This can cause a problem because the parenting of our children is being delegated to someone else. This can sometimes be a bad thing because many people that work in the day care facilities are only there because they need a job; not because they love children.
Rob Stein, reporter for the The Washington Post, also reported that "The researchers previously reported that toddlers who received higher-quality care had fewer behavior problems than those receiving lower-quality care" (par. 9).
I understand the difficulties involved in finding a daycare. Often there aren't enough availabilities, which leads to placing your child in the first available spot. This is not something that we should do. We must not settle when it comes to our children.
There are a few things you can do to avoid placing your child in a sub-par facility:
1.) Contact your local DHS office for a list of day cares in your area. The DHS office holds information regarding all day cares and they are listed by offenses, complaints, etc. This information is available to you for free, and there is no need to register for anything. This will prove to be the most valuable step in your search for a good daycare.
2.) Contact the Childcare Aware hot-line at: 1-800-424-2246. They can give you invaluable information regarding child care.
3.) If you have to schedule an appointment to 'tour' the facility, then don't. There should be no reason that you have to come at a time that they set. You should be able to call and walk in there (with an escort of course).
4.) Try to 'tour' the facility when other parents will be there to pick up their kids, so you can prod them for information regarding the day care.
5.) While you are at the facility, pay attention to the children there. Are they happy? Are they all tired and groggy-looking? Are they messy? Smelly? All of these things can point to issues.
6.) When you do tour the facility, if there is no escort, then leave immediately, because that means the daycare facility simply lets anyone 'tour' without being supervised, and most of the time(if not all), there are other children present.
7.) While touring, try to speak to all of the staff. Talk to some of the children there and see what they think of the place. People tend to underestimate the observatory nature of children, but this is also invaluable information.
8.) Last but not least, ask to see their complaint records. If they have any, have them explain the situation to you. If you followed through with the first step, you should have all of the complaint information at your finger-tips.
Ultimately, the decision is yours, but this is a top priority. Your children only grow up once, so you want to make sure they do it right the first time.
Sources:
Stein, Rob. "Low-quality child care can have lasting impact". The Washington Post. 14 May 2010. Web. 15 May 2010.
This is a pretty damaging statement, but is a logical one. For working parents, day-care is usually the only option. This can cause a problem because the parenting of our children is being delegated to someone else. This can sometimes be a bad thing because many people that work in the day care facilities are only there because they need a job; not because they love children.
Rob Stein, reporter for the The Washington Post, also reported that "The researchers previously reported that toddlers who received higher-quality care had fewer behavior problems than those receiving lower-quality care" (par. 9).
I understand the difficulties involved in finding a daycare. Often there aren't enough availabilities, which leads to placing your child in the first available spot. This is not something that we should do. We must not settle when it comes to our children.
There are a few things you can do to avoid placing your child in a sub-par facility:
1.) Contact your local DHS office for a list of day cares in your area. The DHS office holds information regarding all day cares and they are listed by offenses, complaints, etc. This information is available to you for free, and there is no need to register for anything. This will prove to be the most valuable step in your search for a good daycare.
2.) Contact the Childcare Aware hot-line at: 1-800-424-2246. They can give you invaluable information regarding child care.
3.) If you have to schedule an appointment to 'tour' the facility, then don't. There should be no reason that you have to come at a time that they set. You should be able to call and walk in there (with an escort of course).
4.) Try to 'tour' the facility when other parents will be there to pick up their kids, so you can prod them for information regarding the day care.
5.) While you are at the facility, pay attention to the children there. Are they happy? Are they all tired and groggy-looking? Are they messy? Smelly? All of these things can point to issues.
6.) When you do tour the facility, if there is no escort, then leave immediately, because that means the daycare facility simply lets anyone 'tour' without being supervised, and most of the time(if not all), there are other children present.
7.) While touring, try to speak to all of the staff. Talk to some of the children there and see what they think of the place. People tend to underestimate the observatory nature of children, but this is also invaluable information.
8.) Last but not least, ask to see their complaint records. If they have any, have them explain the situation to you. If you followed through with the first step, you should have all of the complaint information at your finger-tips.
Ultimately, the decision is yours, but this is a top priority. Your children only grow up once, so you want to make sure they do it right the first time.
Sources:
Stein, Rob. "Low-quality child care can have lasting impact". The Washington Post. 14 May 2010. Web. 15 May 2010.
