The Best Daycare Centers
Choosing the best daycare center can be one of the toughest decisions parents make. Everything about the daycare -- from its environment to the staff interactions and curriculum -- contributes to early childhood development. There are ways, though, to evaluate a daycare and determine if it is best for your family.
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Your Gut Feeling
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The best daycare centers have a good reputation in the community and among parents. They have rules for drop off and pick up and plenty of space for children to play inside and out. They are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. But when looking for a daycare center, don't discount the power of a gut feeling. Choosing a daycare center is personal. Listen to your first impression. Pay attention to how you feel when see how the staff interact with the children. Look to see if your kids are happy, fulfilled and eager to go back.
Licenses and Accreditation
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Most states require daycare centers and homecare facilities that watch over 12 or more children be licensed. The minimum health, safety and teaching requirements that a facility needs to meet to gain that license, however, varies from state to state. Good daycare centers have a license. The better ones are also accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, or NAEYC. Gaining the NAEYC accreditation is a roughly 18-month-long process. According to Baby Center, NAEYC has accredited 6,000 of the nation's nearly 100,000 daycare centers. Another 12,000 are working to gain that stamp of approval.
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Curriculum
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For babies, toddlers and children, a stimulating curriculum works to develop cognitive, emotional, language, physical and social skills, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The best daycare not only implements a curriculum to foster that development, but it also assesses a child's performance and delivers at least quarterly reports to the parents. There should be plenty of play time with age-appropriate toys, quiet time for reflecting, napping or reading, group time to play outside and healthy snack times.
Staff
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First, look to see what the daycare center's staff looks like on paper. Do they have caregivers on hand to maintain a healthy staff-to-child ratio? The National Association for the Education of Young Children calls for daycare centers to keep a ratio that varies depending on the number and age of the children. For instance, both a group of six babies or one dozen 2 to 3-year-olds require two caregivers. The staff should also be educated and trained. Ideally, caregivers have some college or commensurate experience working in early childhood development and routinely receive pediatric first aid and CPR training. Also, daycare centers that pay their caregivers well -- which includes vacation time and health insurance benefits -- are more likely to attract staff who will stick around for awhile. Because most children flourish in consistent environments, having the same caregiver will help them thrive.
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References
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