As a parent you have the right to ask all kinds of questions when checking out centers for your baby or toddler.Here are some of the most crucial things that you might want to check on:
- Have you done staff background checks?
- How well trained is the staff? Management should have at least a bachelor's degree, and directors and trainers should have early-childhood or child-development education. Also ask about training in first aid and CPR.
- What's the adult-to-child ratio? For day-care centers, optimal ratios are 1:4 for infants and 1:5 for ages 1 to 2.
- Are they licensed, and when were they last inspected? A health, safety or child-care inspector should visit regularly—and quarterly visits are optimal.
- What are the health and safety policies? Remember to ask about cleanli-ness, first-aid preparedness and hand-washing policies. Also, find out what happens when children get sick.
- What's the policy on discipline? If it's not consistent with your values, go somewhere else.
- Meet the people who will be taking care of your child and see if you think there's a good fit. Before signing up, take your child to the facility to interact a bit.
- Trust your instincts about how the adults react to your child.
What you'll most want to know is that the people taking care of your baby will love and care for her and that all the children are safe and healthy and learning something.
