Hi Tan
I am guessing you are asking about child care centres?
the types of questions i ask are:
Child/Staff ratios (these are legislated but some centres are better than the requirements)
Routines in the room my child wilbe in
Programming - what activities they do, how they plan them etc
Food policy - bring own or provided
Nappies - bring own or provided
Look at sleeping area
Look at toilet/changing area
What parental involvement there is
Staff turnover (can be high due to low wages etc)
Commujication with parents
At a centre all staff will have background checks etc, you can ask about this but if they are a registred centre this would be covered
At child care centres you will find they def playw ith the kids and do educational activities - it isnt 'babysitting'. the best way ti guage this is to spend some time there and watch how it is to make sure you are happy.
No centre I have ever gone to has guns etc - but worth asking/watching
in terms of 'gentle philospohies' this will depend on the cntre - depending in your childs age diff things may be available - community based centres, montessori etc
It is worth spending time at a centre to see hwo comfortable you would be with it - i think thisis better than having a checklist - your gut feeling and being around the staff and seeing how they interact with the kids
Also good to talk to some parents there - so go at drop off o pick up time
Fam Day Care - some similar things but also more detail when you meet with the carer as each carer will have their own methods.. the one we used for DS1 when he was younger was fine fpr example to rock him to sleep but others that i met would have left him in a cot til he 'self settled' - evenw hen i told him he didnt do this!
My daughter has been going to day care for 2 years now. You dont have to make their food they do it all for you, they have a chef that makes the food fresh. What ever question you have dont be afraid to ask, at the end of the day they are working for you and you have a right to ask whatever you want. They do all kind of activities with the kids, they even get them to make presents for mothers day and fathers day similar to kinder. They get to to sleep during the day. Not sure on the teacher and parent ratio as it depends on the age of the child, be sure to ask and check out a few child care centres, you'll know which one is best.
I would look into Family Day Care... I use it for DS, and it is a home based carer, in her home, but overseen but a council run organisation. The carer and all adults in her home are background checked and monitored by the FDC organisation. My carer has been doing this for 20 years, and came highly recommended.
She can have a max of 5 children and they range from 6m to 5y. However, once they hit 3 it is suggested that they attend pre-school for a few days. I think her oldest on maybe 4 and he is only there one day a week.
The FDC organisaion has playgroups and come to her home with a bus with fully fitted child seats and take them out one a month for group play activity.
My carer has been receptive to my gentle parenting philosophies and I spent a half day there with her and the kids prior to enrolling DS. I like the fact that she has had repeat family business (cousins, siblings) and many friend referrals. The family home environment was something I felt more comfortable with, and the personal attention DS gets is great. He can even say her name, yet refuses to say mumma...
We provide all food / drinks, but again, our carer has food and snacks and is very flexible with eating and timing... i.e if I arrive in the morning and DS has not had breakfast she will feed him, or if he doenst feel like lunch at "lunchtime" she will offer again in an hour based on the demands of the children.
My carer is very interactive with the children and DS has learned a few words, but the main thing is the personal interaction he has with her and the other children. They are like siblings to DS and I see him hug and interact really positively with them. Sometimes I think my carer can be to soft on DS, but I am working with her to help him learn in a way that I find acceptable... (And that is not really a bad thing at all...)
I guess most importantly is to ask around if you can and see what experiences people have had in your area with day care, and them go into all the centers and observe how they work and then make a list of detailed questions, just like you have asked us, and see what responses you get. I bet you will have a gut reaction to the centers if you visit them... Good luck....
So with the FDC, its one person with multiple children?? How would she manage? I struggle with just 2!
I was thinking of the childcare so my 3 year old could socialise and i could have alone time with my little one. He goes to the toilet, but needs help.
There are stacks of vacancies in my area, so is that not a good thing?
With FDC it is the same (if not slightly better) ratio than in a centre... up to 5 to 1. In most centers it is the same. But with FDC there are only up to 5 kids at only one time with the one adult, not say, 20 in a room with 4 adults. So that one adult is focused on all the kids. oh and her toilet in in the laundry, backing onto the backyard... But each carers home is different....
My carer has a room (converted garage) and an fully fenced outside area, and it is easy for her to have an eye on the kids all at once...
yes with FDC they have one carer and mutliple children (about 4-5 max but depends on age). i found it a good option at the start but DS1 has done better in the centre he is now in (but it is a great centre and he started there at 20 months). some people have an issue that there is only 1 carer/adult bu tthis wasnt an issue for me
i also went to FDC when i was a kid, and am still in contact with my FDC 'mum' and family - they were like aniother family to me.
Maybe call some centres and check them out - having vacancies isnt a bad thing in itself - maybe your area has heaps of centres...and you could also try out FDC, meet some carers etc and see how you feel
i really think if you go visit you will 'know' if it is good for yu and your child. i personally find it great for my 2yo - he loves playing with the other kids, has made somefriends there and learns heaps - the stimulation and variety is great. it also gives me time with DS2 which i love and it is good for us all.
good luck!
I use FDC too Tan, to give myself sometime for selfcare. I have a great lady who was a center manager. She only has 4 children a day so it is a great ratio. I met with several carers at their homes before I found my one. I watched them interact with the children and I had DD with me so I could she how she reacted and watch them interact with her. I would spend about an hour with each I would say. Lousie impressed me the most as she had a written phiosophy of care and showed me how she plans each day with different developmental stuff and play. She also has scrapbooks for each child where she does observations and tracks thier progress and work. DD had done some works of art!! Not bad for less than 12mths!! There is a set routine and rules and the children know that. There are a few things that we differ on but Louise has been prepared to accomodate my wishes and that is awesome. I have also had to loosen some of my standards but all in all I am thrilled with the way it works. I can see that DD has built a relationship with Louise as she starts babbling and waving when we park outside of a morning! As always hun PM if you wanna know more
Last edited by amy_o; September 7th, 2009 at 05:59 PM.
: Forgot something.....
Both my boys have been in a couple of different daycare's. One was a FDC type scenario and the last two were Long daycare centre's.
I always ALWAYS go and have a look before I enrol them. They should have no problems letting you wander around for a squiz and ask any of the carers questions. This last time I even took Jett with me so he could have a look around as well.
They will tell you the child:carer ratio, esp if you ask. Our current one keeps with the legislation which has just been updated if memory serves correctly; so atm while they are renovating Jett and Ripley are together but once thats done they will be separated into two area's because the ratio's differ depending on how old the kids are (Rip is in the under 2yo category while Jett is in the over 2/preschoolers catergory). At all their daycares we've had to send food which is fine by me. It helps me keep track of what and how much they are eating.
To be honest, I think going to enquire in person and having a look around; and asking the right questions should be enough for you to get a feel for whether your kids would be happy there. I believe mothers intuition is a powerful thing and you should stick with it.
I orignially looked at a daycare down the road from us when we were in Townsville but within 5min of walking in to enquire about enrolling the boys my mummy radar went pinging and I walked back out again. Wasnt anything particularly dangerous I just didnt like the carers attitude and the general feel of the place. The centre we eventually picked we ADORED; Jett still asks for his kindy teacher and they were very sad when we left. I think we've picked a winner with our current one too, the boys didnt even flinch when I left them for their first day and I already have to practically drag them out of there when its home time
Daycare Questions
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There is a set routine and rules and the children know that. There are a few things that we differ on but Louise has been prepared to accomodate my wishes and that is awesome. I have also had to loosen some of my standards but all in all I am thrilled with the way it works. I can see that DD has built a relationship with Louise as she starts babbling and waving when we park outside of a morning! As always hun PM if you wanna know more
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