Things to look for in a great preschool/daycare?

Jenny - posted on 12/07/2010

the main things you should look for is cleanliness, a child has own space. academics like abcs ,if not potty trained trying to help, and interaction whith other kids, not nessicarliy your but others

Judy - posted on 12/07/2010

Most day care centers will have similar curriculum, and activities. I would be less worried about the certifications, as a state licensed facility. Then the next biggest thing to look for are the interactions between the children and the teachers. Do the children in the class room approach the adults? Do the teachers seem to huddle and chat to each other or play with the children? Try to overhear teacher's tone of voice when you're in the hall outside the classroom, do they speak to the children or bark orders? You want a center that has a loving nurturing environment. One that stimulates a child's curiosity. If you find that, the child will come to love "school"

Rachael - posted on 12/07/2010

I am not in the US so I'm not sure as to what certifications they would need, but I think some pretty basic requirements should be cleanliness, a curriculum that works on the developmental skills they are working on (such as speech or movement), and staff that are friendly and check to make sure the other kids in the room are happy

Carisa - posted on 12/06/2010

I put my oldest in daycare at eight weeks for about another eight weeks (then I was laid off and became a SAHM) We chose ours on the advice of a friend. I knew as soon as I walked in that it was the right place for us. We live in Canton, MI...the name of the place is Rosey's Romper Room. It was privately owned, and a little expensive. I can't remember how much and it was over 4 years ago. Most things like child/caregiver ratios are determined by the state. Any center would have to follow state regulations. You also want to make sure it is okay for you to drop in whenever you want...if they don't like that, I would wonder if they are hiding something. Good luck!

Christy - posted on 12/05/2010

I have worked in childcare for EVER. I worked in a bad childcare center for a month as my first job and had no idea how bad it was until I started working the job I have now. I work at a great childcare center - it's through Bright Horizons and if you can find a Bright Horizons in your area I highly recommend them. You can google it and search locations. But let me tell you some things you should look for:

1. What are there ratios of teachers to children? Do they follow state ratios or something lower? Typically for his age state (in TX) ratio is 1 teacher to 11 kids. My center is 2 teachers to 14 kids. Big difference

2. Also, don't necessarily buy into places that hire teachers with degrees. Just because you have a Bachelor degree doesn't mean you know how to work with toddlers. I have a BS in Elem Ed. and my co-teacher has 15 years experience. I can tell you first hand, she knows WAY more about 2 year olds than me. you definately want to make sure the teachers have CPR/First Aid certification though. And experience is a big plus!

3. Costs vary from state to state, so call around. You usually pay higher rates for lower ratios.

4. Curriculum is up to you. Some places go off religious curriculum like ABEKA and others do something called Emergent curriculum where they focus on what the child is intersted in. In my class if the kids are talking about animals, we read about animals, count them, paint with them, etc.

5. Take a tour - show up unannounced and see if they are willing to give you a tour. Generally, they should be able to do it right then. Sometimes they can't because maybe they are short staffed or someone is sick. But if it's a good center and everyone is there, they should do it right then instead of having to schedule one. Also check to see if you can show up and visit throughout the day. Whether you plan to or not, I understand you may not be remotely able to show up all day. But ask! If they act freaked out by the idea of a parent showing up randomly, it's not a good sign. You should be able to show up anytime!

6. As a mother of a two year old, I wouldn't recommend putting your child in a center that has cameras accesible for all parents. I know I want to watch my child all day. However, there are big privacy issues. If your child bites or hits another child, do you really want the other child's parents to know it was your child? Do you want other parents watching your child thinking "that child is a bully" or "that child is slow." Really, I know it sounds mean, but there are parents that watch those and specifically tell there own child to retaliate or ignore the other child. If you want a center that has cameras, check to make sure that you are able to watch the feedback if you ever need to, but in general only the director has access to. In general though, I feel that cameras are not nessary if you are able to walk in unannounced anytime.

7. Look around the classroom during your tour and visually check to see if things look clean and safe. Don't be afraid to ask about anything you see that does not look right.

8. Go with your gut! If you walk in to a center and you have a bad feeling - don't ignore it. Mother's instinct is there for a reason.

9. In Texas, on the Texas Dept. of Health and Human Services website there is a spot for childcare licensing. It lists all licensed childcares in Texas along with all recent inspections. It shows all violations the center has had. Go to google and search for Michigan childcare licensing. If a center has violations check to see what the violations were. Sometimes there may be 10 violations and they were simply paperwork issues - like a parent didn't sign page 11, etc. Sometimes they may have 1 violation- child abuse. Don't get scared by the number of violations, read what each violation was for. Also, in Texas they tell whether or not the center reports themselves for violations. I personally think that centers who are willing to report themselves when they make a mistake are probably better centers in the end.



Okay, I know that's a lot. I can't think of anything else... but if you have any questions feel free to ask!