If you are considering enrolling your child at a child care centre, there are a few things you need to check first to assess the integrity of the centre. You need to assess all aspects of the centre including their learning methods, programmes, cleanliness, communication, safety, the experience of the teachers, condition of the buildings and premises etc.
When you visit the child care centre in Belmont, Geeling, you can ask about their flexibility regarding the hours of operation. You may have different requirements when it comes to balancing family and work obligations so depending on your circumstances, you might need shorter or longer hours of operation. You can ask whether there are policies in place when the parent gets late to pick up the child. You may have your own expectations about early learning and developmental education so you need to do some research to see whether the child care centre has the same view towards education and whether their values match with yours. There will be a daily schedule that occurs in the facility and it is best to learn this schedule to see if it is a good fit for your child. You can ask whether their curriculum is constructed with the developmental stages of children in mind and how much emphasis they put on playtime. Children need to be free to play at this age so it is best to find a facility that has a good balance.
The education and the learning environment that your child experiences in the child care centre will be a strong foundation for what they learn in school. This is where they will form their own expectations on what a school will be like so the environment needs to be appealing for the child so that they develop an interest in learning. You can ask about the ratio of staff to children in the centre as a higher ratio will indicate that more individual attention can be given to the children. They will be able to monitor and cater to the needs of your child more.
Before you visit the centre, it is best to check the references for the facility from the website of their page, independent reviews etc. You can also ask for recommendations from friends, family and colleagues to get an idea of the criteria that they are looking for in a daycare. If you feel like you have a preference for a daycare centre, you can ask them for potential parents they can recommend for you to contact and get an idea about the structure of the centre. You can get an idea of how satisfied the parents are with the child care they receive and see if there are any drawbacks to the facility that you have not identified.
The training and qualifications of the staff is very important as they will form a lasting impression on the child. Check for credentials and backgrounds of the teachers. You also need to check the cleanliness of the premises as young children are not very diligent with hand washing. Ask if you can check the common areas of the building such as toilets and bathrooms to determine the cleanliness standards upheld by the centre.