Selecting Quality Child Care
There are three common themes found in the literature. These themes include information about the caregiver, the setting, and the activities. As parents know what constitutes quality related to each theme, they are empowered to make the best selection of child care.
A Quality Caregiver
One indicator of quality care is the educational background of the caregiver. A quality caregiver will have an educational background that includes coursework in child development. These providers will have the skills to appropriately support young children across their developmental stages. The activities (and environment) provided by the caregiver appear interesting, challenging, and inviting. A good caregiver will be respectful of the children. This will be expressed through the caregiver's willingness to obtain ideas from the children, and by choices offered to children regarding what activities they would like to participate or not participate in.
Good caregivers will help children to use their words to express feelings and solve problems. Caregivers who are able to validate children's feelings and equip them with problem-solving strategies will help your children become emotionally and socially successful. Watch for caregivers who are partners in play with the children they serve. This helps the caregiver to know your child's developmental level. A caregiver who knows the children they care for can help them overcome difficulties, and take them to new levels socially, cognitively, verbally, emotionally, and physically.
Education cannot teach a caregiver to express warmth and love, but you should be able to see this when looking for care for your children.
Do you observe children who enjoy being with the caregiver? Is everyone engaged in some kind of activity?
A Quality Setting
Another indicator of quality care is one in which the setting is safe and healthy. The equipment, toys, and furniture should be clean, in good repair, and appropriate for the age of children being served. The number of children in the program should be small enough to allow each child to receive the attention they may need. Licensed centers will need to comply with standards of safety and child-caregiver ratios.
Resource and referral agencies in your county and the Department of Human Services can provide you with a listing of licensed centers in the community where you need care.
The location of the care program and the cost for the care may play a role in your calculation of the overall quality of potential programs. Costs will vary depending upon the type of care you select and the days and hours you need. However, whether you select family child care, or center-based care, quality should still be your highest priority.
Look at the walls--are the children's ideas recorded and/or displayed? A sense of community can be recognized by a room that displays the children's words, stories, and photos. Look for these to be displayed at the child's level.
Quality Activities
When choosing quality care for your children, you can judge quality by observing the different areas of the room and the activities presented in each area. From the perspective of the developmental level of the children being served, are the activities age-appropriate? Are they interesting and inviting to the children? Do the activities allow for individual expression? Remember, developmentally-appropriate care provides children with activities that are active, first-hand, relevant (to the children), independent, and explorative.
As a parent in search of care for your child, your ability to recognize the quality of the caregiver, the setting, and the activities will help you to select the best care that is available. By knowing the care you selected is providing your child with a high-quality early education experience, you are providing your child with a high quality present and future.
Bibliography:
Gable, S. Finding and selecting good child care: A guide for parents returning to work. University of Missouri Extension Fact Sheet. May 12, 1998. GH6233.
Lingren, H. G. Parent checklist for choosing day care. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Fact Sheet. October 8, 1997. G89-928-A.
By Joseph J. Maiorano, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Jefferson County - Reprinted with permission from Ohio State University.
