Are you seeking a care facility for your child? Bringing your child to a care facility for the first time can be nerve-racking, to say the least. In addition to that, there are several things you should be aware of when it comes to what you should expect from a competent provider.
1) Open Communication To All Staff Members
Parents should feel a warm, welcoming aura when it comes to communicating with staff members in the facility. They should feel confident that if they have an issue, there is someone on standby who will listen. Additionally, parents should expect that reputable providers will be honest about their child’s development, behaviours, and any other thing at the facility.
Communication is the most important aspect of any childcare ccs facility. If you don’t believe that you can talk to a provider about your child’s specific needs, for example, you may be better off with another facility.
2) Reliability
As you spend your day working hard, the last thing you should have to worry about our last-minute changes related to the care of your child. Parents should expect their provider to be reliable enough to notify them of last-minute changes, incoming new staff as well as daycare closures. Parents should expect providers to adhere to the hours and terms of the agreement that they both signed.
3) Written Procedures and Policies
Before you even get a chance to bring your child to the facility, you should be given a list of procedures and policies surrounding the facility. This helps to ensure that all parties are aware of what is expected from the parent, as well as what parents can expect from the provider. The primary purpose of a written policy is to protect all parties.
4) Age Appropriate Environment
It’s worth noting that each provider has their own unique style of how they run their facilities and the types of activities that children are allowed to partake in. However, regardless of the program’s style, there should be an abundance of age-appropriate toys and tools for different age groups within the facility.
For instance, if they take care of children aged 4-6 and children aged 8-10, they should have two separate learning environments that cater to those two age groups instead of a generalized environment as to which both age groups intermingle.
5) Respect
If you have instilled principles within your child that are distinctive from that of other parents, you shouldn’t feel as if you’re going to have to make adjustments when using a care facility. For instance, if you dictate that your child should never eat meat or watch tv, the provider should respect your wishes as well as the decisions that you’ve made for your child. In addition to that, competent facilities shouldn’t try and critique your parenting skills in any shape or form, as well as to impose different religious beliefs on your child. As such, if you find yourself in the midst of arguing with a provider about your parenting practices, you need to find another facility.
6) Safe And Clean Environment
Besides ensuring that they provide an age-appropriate environment for your child, the environment itself should be safe and clean. Facilities must provide indoor and outdoor spaces that are organized and clean for your child. What this means is that they should be plenty of space for your child to learn and play.
Read More: Parents, Have That Internet Safety Chat With Your Child!
7) Supervision
Care facilities are tasked with being aware of where the child is at all times. This is arguably their number one priority. Parents should expect that a reputable provider will practice their due diligence when it comes to supervising their children and ensuring that they remain safe and out of harm’s way. In addition to this, care providers should be knowledgeable enough to know that they have to get to know your child so that they can assess them if their behaviour is off or if they are not feeling well.
