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A Child Care Center dedicated to meeting the emotional, mental & physical developmental needs of the children we serve and children everywhere. |
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The Classrooms:
Resources for Parents
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The forms below are designed to help you obtain as much information as possible regarding the child care facility your child might attend. The information you obtain up-front may help you avoid unsuitable arrangements and should also help you to spot trouble signs early. Too many of us are shy about asking questions or appearing to check and monitor our child's care environment. Child care providers deserve respect and the ones who do a good job deserve not only our respect, but our thanks, praise and appreciation. A child care provider who is doing a good job will not mind the questions and the careful inspection you do, one who is on the borderline may be motivated to do a better job. If you see "problems" while reviewing a child care facility, you should be an advocate for children, tell the provider of the issue and it is a health or safety issues please contact your local state licensing authority. If you do nothing, how will you feel in you see or hear a news story about a child seriously injured or killed at this facility? No care facility may refuse you service due to the questions you ask or due to a complaint you raise. Many people are in situations where their child must be in a care facility that is less than ideal. If parents work with the care facility, other parents and the State Regulating agency they have the best chance of improving care for their children and all the other children at the facility. See HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CHILD'S CARE. Finally, trust your instincts, they are your best guide. CHILD CARE REVIEW
QUESTIONNAIRES General Review Early in the evaluation of the facility you should visit, without your child if at all possible. If you must bring your child try to bring along a second person to help with your child. If you have to pay attention to your child during the visit you cannot place your full attention on observing the facility. If the facility passes you initial inspection(s), then you should come back for a visit with your child (see familiarization visit below). Often care facilities are on the 'best' behavior during the time period when most parents are dropping off or picking up children. If your visit is during other times of the day, you may see things not normally seen by most parents. We suggest you schedule visits to child care facilities between 9:00am and 12:00pm or after naptime and before 4:00pm. This is when most children will be at the facility, and during the time period when the facility is least likely to be on "company" manners. If possible, do one scheduled visit without your child and a second, shorter unscheduled review visit. Dropping off paperwork or picking up a duplicate of a 'lost' form is often a good excuse, if you feel you need one. You can also just stop by with your child to introduce your child to the "new play place", their teacher and one or two children. This will help you get a second look around and will also allow you to begin introducing the concept to your child before the familiarization visit. With an older toddler or pre-school this will help you begin to talk to your child about the new "play place". During the quick unannounced visit you may want to come during the normal drop off/pickup time to observe how children react. If all of the children run to leave without a backward glance at their 'friends', the activity they were engaged in or a 'goodbye' to the teacher be wary. You can also see if care givers activity provide information to parents and/or how they answer parent's inquires. If all answers are 'canned' or one word responses, don't expect much information on your child's day. Recommendation / References It is surprising how infrequently parents ask for references from a child care provider. Do not be surprised if the provider must first check with parents to see if they can provide you with a phone number. It is recommended that you obtain at least two references. Reference parents should have been at the facility for at least one full year to ensure they are aware of any 'seasonal' issues, such as extra large groups during summer months or staffing shortages during key holiday times. If the reference(s) has been with the provider for a few years they may also be able to identify key turnover times (i.e. at the beginning of school semesters, when staff is often lost to school districts). It is extremely useful to have at least one reference who has had some of the staff that will be caring for your child. Familiarization Visit Information Prior to finalizing a choice / starting your child at a new facility it is a good idea to arrange a one hour familiarization visit for you and your child. If possible set the visit between 9:00 and 12:00 or after naptime and before 4:00pm, in the room that your child will be in care at the facility. This visit will help your child adjust to the facility and allow you to see the natural interaction between the children and staff. This visit will often help you to see items of concern which are not readily apparent during a tour. Any concerns you have after this visit can then be discuss with the director. If you encounter any serious issues you can avoid enrolling your child in an unacceptable situation. If you see anything which prevents you from enrolling your child you should notify the director and call the State Regulating agency, if it is a matter of health or safety. Most care arrangements will allow you to do one or two familiarization visits before signing final paperwork / making payments. Think twice about the care arrangement if they will not allow you a familiarization visit. This visit is extremely important regardless of your child's age - with an infant it will show you how the providers react to crying infants, if they are allowed their own schedule or forced to follow the facilities schedule. With older children it will help them adjust, allow you to observe the teachers style and to actively discuss the facility with your child. During this visit you should generally be left alone with the 'normal' group and the staff should not need to frequently reframe what you are seeing (i.e. the staff should not be saying "Oh! We normally do not watch TV; Oh! We normally, redirect instead of give time outs; Ms X normally does not yell so much, but she had a bad night last evening, etc). If the Children act surprised by activities (i.e. they got to sit in front of the TV instead of in a circle to hear a book, or they ask why they are not watching Barney today, etc.) be suspicious. This is usually a good indication that the printed schedule has little to do with their normal day. Many States require facilities to have planned and displayed schedules which they are required to reasonably follow. Care Giving Staff Information Understanding the staff which will be in your child's room is crucial to evaluating the quality of care. As noted above studies have found the consistency of care givers, number of care givers and training of care givers are the most important indicators of the quality of care. Most States have rules governing requirements to be called a Teacher (also known as a Group Supervisor), an Assistant Teacher (also known as a Assistant Supervisor) or an Aide. Understanding the staff's work schedule will help in two area. It should help you in evaluating the training level of staff at who are caring for your child during the child's day. Secondly, if staff are on duty too many hours during the week, the quality of interaction they can provide will be decreased. Signs to Watch for once your child is in care:
If you encounter a problem check out our page on Solving Child Care Problems
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FOR KID'S SAKE - A SITE DEDICATED TO PARENTS, CHILDREN & CHILD CARE PROVIDERS EVERYWHERE - Thank you for visiting! 486 Keebler Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 610-337-2423 For Program Information or to Request Information please email Sandi@forkidssakecc.com Web Site Designed and Hosted by PS Web Works, Inc.
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