Childcare You Can TRUST

Finding quality childcare for your little one can be a daunting task, but as long as you TRUST your instincts, you will surely find the perfect fit for your family.

Tack

Room

Up-to-date

Staff

Teaching

Tack The policies and practices that the center has in place to run smoothly

Good tack looks like:

· Clear and consistent policies

· Professional phone and in-person interactions

· Timeliness

· Knowledgeable personnel

Questions to determine tack:

1. How long have you been the director here?

2. What is your sick policy for students? Staff?

3. Am I able to look at the parent policy handbook?

4. How can I communicate with my child’s teacher?

Room When you tour the center, what do you see?

A quality room looks like:

· Clean and free of clutter

· Spacious

· Child-Accessible

· Divided into sections

Questions to determine room quality:

1. Is the space clean and well organized?

2. Are the spaces child-friendly and easily navigable?

3. Is there a space designated for teachers? If so, is it well kept?

4. Is the playground nearby? Is it free of debris?

Up-To-Date Modernized décor, technology, and materials

An up-to-date center looks like:

· Quality camera system

· Keypad or FOB key parent entry

· Vibrant toys, not faded and worn-out

· Childcare grade furniture

Questions to determine if a center is up-to-date:

1. How do you keep your staff current on the trends in education?

2. How often do you upgrade your room décor and toys?

3. What technology do you use in this center?

4. Do you have live video streaming?

Staff The people who work with your child everyday

I wrestled with whether to use the word safety or staff for this letter and I finally landed on staff. Obviously, safety is important, but I believe that the last three points address safety in one-way or another. However, the staff may very well be the single most important component of a daycare that you need to trust.

Quality staff looks like:

· Smiling faces

· Clear voice

· Eye contact

· Relaxed demeanor

· Student engagement

Questions about staffing:

1. How long have _____ and _____ been assigned to this classroom?

*This is a discrete way to determine the turnover rate

2. What are the qualifications for a lead teacher? Assistant?

3. How often does the staff communicate with me and in what manner?

4. What do you do if a staff member calls out sick?

Teaching The learning the takes place in the center

Quality teaching looks like:

· Everything in the classroom is labeled

· An easy to read parent-board

· Student work is displayed

· Children are eager classroom participants

Questions to determine teaching quality:

1. What are the students learning this week? Month?

2. How are parents involved in the learning process?

3. What is the center’s philosophy of education?

4. What would you say is the center’s niche, or educational specialty?

Using this lens to view a prospective center and asking these 20 questions throughout your tour will give you the confidence to know whether you can TRUST the institution that could eventually become much like an extension to your family.

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