Selecting the perfect facility for your child to be cared for when you are at work can be one of the hardest things you have ever done. It can take months and sometimes even years to find the right place. The place that you feel like is a home away from home for your child. Once you find the right place then you hope and pray that nothing changes. I have met many parents who thought they found the right place only for it to close down shortly after, or for a new director to come in who changed everything.
I have been truly blessed that my children have been able to be with me at whatever school I was working at for most of my life as a mother. This was not the case when I became a mother for the first time. When my oldest was born I was a kindergarten teacher and we did not have infant care at our school. I was just starting out in the field and still have a lot of ladder to climb. My husband also was just starting out in his career so I knew that we would not be able to afford a big flashy child care facility.We began our search for a quality in home child care center about half way into my pregnancy. I had been working in the field of child care and early childhood education for years, but I honestly had no idea where to start my search. I cannot tell you how many homes I went to that made my skin crawl with how dirty they were or that the caregivers gave me the creeps. I was 38 weeks pregnant when I went to my weekly doctor visit. I had several appointments set up for the next day to view more in home facilities. During my appointment it was decided that I would be induced the following day and I canceled those appointments feeling discouraged that I would never find the right place to send my precious baby. I forgot to mention that we were lucky in that we didn’t have to rush. My dad had just retired and was going to help care for my daughter for a month before I was out for Christmas break. Despite this, I was still beginning to get worried that all the in home centers would be like the ones I had seen. That I would not find the right place to send my baby. It was then that I decided to pray about it and turn it over to God. After being discharged and getting settled at home I rescheduled the appointments that I had canceled. Guess what! The first appointment I went to I knew it was the right place. While I was there I asked all of my questions and I felt like I would be sending my daughter to grandma’s house to spend her days. God led me to this place, this diamond in the rough, and taught me to trust in Him to guide my path.
Through this experience and through my years of experience in the field God has given me some knowledge of what to look for when trying to find the right place to send your child. I thought I’d help you by giving you some tips of what to look for and what to ask about. Below are my top ten tips of what to look for or ask about when looking for somewhere to care for your child when you cannot. These are in no particular order.
- Ask about their philosophy or mission statement. Go beyond the rehearsed written statement though. Push the director or administrator to describe how they put that into action and how they select staff that does too.
- Ask about their cleaning and sanitizing procedures. One of the biggest complaints with a child going to a child care or early childhood education facility is that they are always getting sick. Ask about how they are being proactive in stopping that.
- Look at the facility. Is it in decent repair. Does it look old and dirty or well cared for and clean. Is it safe and secure?
- Ask about the hiring process for staff. These people will be responsible for making sure your child is cared for each day. Find out how they are selected. Did the director only spend a 15 minute interview with them?
- Ask about staff qualification and on going professional development. For me the on going part is more important than the previous. If continued learning is important to a school then they will require that of their staff. A staff that goes above and beyond seeking to learn the best ways to care for children shows their dedication to ensure your child is cared for.
- Ask about ratios. Does that staff have too many kids they are responsible for to ensure that your child is getting the attention that they need.
- Ask about policies and procedures: some key topics are sun safety, sick policy, injury procedures, classroom visitation, background check policy, etc. Think about what is important to you as a parent and ask about it.
- Ask about the administrator’s education and experience. If the administrator has minimal education and experience in the field then their staff is likely to have the same.
- Ask to observe in the classroom prior to enrolling. If the school is not open to this find out why. If it is a security issue that is one thing, but if they cannot explain why that is a red flag.
- Ask about rates. The cost truly shouldn’t be everything, but it also will tell you a lot about a school. If they are the lowest rates around then you might want to ask why they are so low. If they are exponentially high. That is a concern as well. What do they offer that makes them worth so much more? A school should select rates that indicate they are proud of what they have to offer, but that they also take into account you and respecting your family financial needs.
BONUS TIP: Trust yourself and your gut. If it doesn’t feel right or if you are uncomfortable with someone or something that you experience during your visit then it’s probably best to keep looking or do a second visit to see if maybe it was just an off day.
I hope that these tips help you to find the best place to send your little ones when you can’t be with them. This list certainly isn’t everything that counts in looking for care for your child, but it helps give you a guide of what to look for. I know that when I am giving a tour to a family these are items that I am prepared to discuss and I strive to cover before they even have to ask. May God bless you and your family and your strive to make that hard choice of who should care for your special gift from God while you can’t.
