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Education

Tampa Bay Life

Selecting the Right Daycare or Preschool

Sheena Salmon

Our children are the most important responsibility that we will ever have. Keeping them safe can make any parent anxious at times. Leaving them with perfect strangers is one of the most frightening things. Since the child care facility and the people that work there are unfamiliar to you, you should get to know as much about the facility and the employees at possible. Choosing a day care or preschools can be overwhelming. But the following are some ways to organize so that you can make an informed decision that will leave you at peace.

Things to consider

Establish a budget for childcare costs. The budget will help you narrow down you options when it comes to a child care facility. Child care is a commodity there are options for almost every budget.

NOTE: If your budget is limited you may consider a government assisted like, Head Start. Head Start provides school-readiness programs to low-income, migrant, and American Indian people.

Location, location, location. I would recommend an area close to your place of employment or home. This will allow quick access to your child in case of an emergency. NOTE: There are some places of employment that offer onsite child care. The child care may be free to employees or be out-of-pocket expense for employees.

Another important factor is the teacher to student ratio at the facility. Although there are state standards, you should always ask so to see what amount of teachers are available at the moment for the children. An employee leaving the facility or the huge influx of students may have caused a recent change to the employee student ratio. Find out what the current conditions are at the facility.

Does the facility offer you the opportunity to visit without notice? Facilities that allow surprise visits will be more likely to provide a cleaner and safer environment. Although the surprise visits are important, it is also important that the facility remains secure for all visitors to the center. The center should require sign-in and sign-out sheets so that the students are all accounted for. Also proper identification should be required before students are released from the facility.

In home daycare

If it is an in home facility, ask the provider how many non child care personnel come in and out the home on a daily basis. A few years ago, in Lakeland, the son of an in-home child care provider was accused of sexually abusing several children that attended the facility. Although the chance of this is small, it is always important to know who is coming in contact with the children. Be aware of the relatives, boyfriends, girlfriend or friends of the child care provider that regularly visit the facility.

Get Recommendations

Word of mouth is also important. Ask other parents what facilities they have used in the past and what they would recommend. After you get a recommendation do a little research yourself.

Final Decision

Although getting someone's opinion is important the final decision rests upon you. What worked for one parent may not work for you. Choose a facility that fits your child's individual needs. Find a place where you would actually be comfortable leaving your child.

Government Resources