***Unedited by BPO staff
Choosing
Child Care
By Sally Kees-Martin
The following checklist is to help parents in choosing child care.
When selecting the appropriate child care setting, parents need
to consider issues such as availability, affordability, and quality.
The following check list can help guide parents as they observe
child care programs for quality.
It can also serve as a
self-check list for administrators and staff in child care programs.
How would you rate your own program on the following list of questions
about quality?
Do both parents
and children feel the program is a safe and comfortable place
to be?
- Is there ample space?
- Are there caring providers?
- Is there support upon
separation (e.g., when parents leave for work/school)?
- Is care consistent, or
is there a great deal of caregiver turnover?
- Do caregivers deal with
people's feelings (both children and parents) in a relaxed way?
- Is the environment reasonably
clean?
- Are health practices
followed (e.g., handwashing, separate and sanitary toileting and
diapering areas)?
- Are there enough adults
for the group's size and age?
Are the children encouraged to feel good about themselves?
- Are activities suitable
for the children's ages?
- Is independence encouraged?
- Are children allowed
choices throughout the day?
- Are positive guidance
techniques used?
- Are reasonable limits
set with consistent reinforcement?
- Do caregivers supervise
play without being intrusive?
Are the children involved in meaningful activities?
- Do activities support
children's natural curiosity?
- Are children allowed
to explore?
- Do caregivers attempt
to build on language?
- Are questions posed to
foster thinking and reasoning?
- Is problem-solving and
personal expression encouraged?
- Are there a variety of
age-appropriate play materials available?
- Is a schedule of daily
activities posted and followed?
- Is there a healthy mix
of activities offered? For example, is there a balance between
active and quiet activities, large and small group activities,
and adult-directed and child-directed activities?
Is the environment child-centered?
- Are materials on shelves
accessible to the children?
- Is there child-sized
furniture?
- Are furnishings in good
repair?
- Are rooms tidy and organized
in a way that makes sense to a child?
- Are children's projects
displayed at children's eye level?
Does the environment encourage positive social behavior?
- Are rules for behavior
fair and consistently enforced?
- Do caregivers provide
reasons for rules?
- Are children encouraged
to find positive solutions to conflicts?
- Are there opportunities
for children to have meaningful interactions with both children
and adults?
- Is children's physical
development supported through appropriate health, nutrition and
safety practices?
- Are the indoor and outdoor
environments safe for children?
- Are there regularly scheduled
nutritious meals and snacks?
- Are activities planned
which encourage physical activity?
- Is meal time pleasant?
- Is there an adequate
setting and equipment for rest time?
Are efforts made to ensure consistency between home and child
care?
- Is there an effort for
daily parent-provider exchange?
- Do staff ease transitions
and separation felt by the child as well as the parent?
- Are parents encouraged
to visit?
- Do staff and parents
discuss important issues such as guidance and discipline and toileting
techniques?
If infants are present, are their needs being met?
- Are there enough caregivers
to provide individual attention?
- Is scheduling flexible
to meet individual needs?
- Do caregivers respond
promptly to signs of distress?
- Are toys and play areas
sanitized daily?
- Are diapering areas sanitary
and do caregivers wash after every diaper change?
Note: The Cooperative Extension Service has a mission to deliver
research-based information to the public. Extension is an educational
entity, not a regulatory agency. For more information about child
care licensure, please contact the child care licensing office
in your area. Child care resource and referral agencies are also
a good source of information on locating and selecting child care
services. To find out about the child care resource and referral
agency nearest you, contact the National Child Care Aware Hotline
at 800-424-2246.
Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child
Care - NNCC. DeBord, K. (1994). Choosing child care. In Todd,
C.M. (Ed.), *Day care center connections*, 3(6), pp. 3-4. Urbana-Champaign,
IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION ACCESS
Karen DeBord
Box 7605
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7605
VOICE: 919-515-9147
FAX 919-515-2786
E-MAIL: kdebord@amaroq.ces.ncsu.edu
***Unedited by BPO staff
