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A Parent's Guide to Choosing Safe and Healthy Childcare
Choosing a childcare provider can be a daunting task, especially for new parents. Safety should be a No. 1 priority when deciding on the best place to leave your child. Keeping these guidelines in mind can help you find a place where you feel comfortable leaving your child:
Supervision
- Are children supervised at all times, even when they are sleeping?
- How do the caregivers discipline children?
Hint: Discipline should be positive, clear, consistent and fair.
Hand Washing and Diapering
- Do all caregivers and children wash their hands often, especially before eating and after using the bathroom and changing diapers?
- Is the place where diapers are changed clean?
- Do caregivers always keep a hand on the child while diapering?
- Do caregivers remove the soiled diaper without dirtying any surface not already in contact with stool or urine?
- Do caregivers clean and sanitize the surface after finishing the changing process?
Hint: Hands should be scrubbed with soap and water for at least 10 seconds and then rinsed and dried. The water faucet should be turned off with a paper towel.
Director Qualifications
- Does the director of a childcare center have a bachelor's degree in a child-related field?
- Has the director worked in childcare for at least two years?
- Does the director understand what children need to grow and learn?
Lead Teacher Qualifications
- Does the lead teacher in a childcare center have a bachelor's degree in a child-related field?
- Has the teacher worked in childcare for at least one year?
- Does the teacher give children lessons and toys that are right for their ages?
Child Staff Ratio and Group Size
- How many children are being cared for in the childcare center?
- How many caregivers are there?
Hint: Your child will get more attention if each caregiver has fewer children to take care of. The younger the children are, the more caregivers there should be. For example, one caregiver should only take care of three babies.
Immunizations
- Is your child up to date on all of the required immunizations?
- Does the childcare program have records proving that the other children in care are up to date on all their required immunizations?
