Some areas to consider when evaluating childcare:

1. Childcare evaluation: Your child’s safety
Basic safety precautions are not always enough when it comes to small children, especially when it comes to more than a few together in one place. Ask your center for an explanation of the security protocol, fire safety measures, and other health and protection measures around the house. During childcare evaluation, it is particularly important for you to know about the policies of the center for children being dropped and picked up. It is a good idea to take a look around the center and meet some of the other day care professionals there.

2. Childcare evaluation: The center and the professionals
When evaluating childcare, take some time to check the certification and registration status of the center and its employees. Understanding the requirements in your area for applying and receiving these credentials is important as it helps you judge how appropriate your childcare center is. It also means that aspects like health and fire safety measures are taken care of, as well as other major issues. Childcare professionals should have first-aid knowledge and should be able to reach doctors or clinics in case of emergency.

3. Childcare evaluation: The childcare professional
When you talk to your childcare professional, open and honest communication is important. Children are hugely influenced by the type of person your childcare worker is, and the atmosphere of the center. The style of care and discipline, the methods of teaching, the kind of interaction – when evaluating childcare, consider whether these are the kind of handling your child is benefiting from. Other factors that you may want to consider when evaluating childcare: religion (basic principles of a specific religion or none at all), cleanliness (the same habits your child learns at home) and topics of learning (too many new concepts or not enough).

4. Childcare evaluation: Your child
The most important question, naturally, is whether your child is happy. A complete childcare evaluation depends largely on this. A safe environment and an adequate number of adults to supervise is not enough if your child is unhappy at the center. If your child looks forward to going to day care most of the time and has friends there, it shows that your childcare professional is working to make sure all children participate in activities and have a genuine sense of belonging.

Also, during childcare evaluate, judge whether your child’s development is being encouraged and stimulated at the center. Parents have different requirements from their daycare: some prefer it to teach basics like alphabet songs or nursery rhymes for vocabulary development and so that learning at school is easier, while some parents choose not to overburden the child’s young mind with anything apart from healthy social interaction, constructive play and personal behavior and habits

5. Childcare evaluation: You and your childcare center
Your childcare center should make your life easier and better, and if it is not allowing you the space and flexibility you need, you should consider other options. Communication with childcare professionals is important, and a good rapport between you and your daycare center will help you understand your role in making the situation smooth and seamless for your child, for your childcare workers, and for you. Any misalignment of motives or preferences should be considered while evaluating childcare and deciding whether it is still a viable option for you.

References

1. Evaluating childcare. Child Care Aware

2. Childcare evaluation.  North Carolina Dept. of Health & Human Services

Development through Play – Types of Play

Children engage in different forms of play, and while they don’t understand this categorization, it is important that parents and child care professionals do, so that they can direct the activity and ensure that children are exposed to and can learn from games. Children play either on their own, with other children, or with adults. Games take the form of activities that involve exercise and movement, or activities performed while seated or sprawled out, with limited motion. Games also include use of toys, props, imagination, and children’s tools or play-items like beads or coloring books.

Learning Through Games – Life Skills and Play

The strength, energy and fitness levels of children increase when they play in a healthy manner. Exercising muscles, developing active habits and burning up excess energy that could turn destructive are the more obvious benefits of learning through games. Play time is also a good time to teach children about life skills like good manners, appropriate behavior, obeying rules, sharing and team playing, cooperation, and concepts of winning and losing. Vocabulary, speech, curiosity, problem-solving, cognitive and intellectual understanding are some of the abilities that develop through play that is guided or planned. Behavioral problems such as temper tantrums, fussy eating and refusal to perform tasks like using the toilet appropriately or getting dressed can be solved through patient play.

Learning through Play – Tips on Learning Games

• Role playing and dress-up activities help children develop their imagination, and teach them about different roles in society
• Sorting, building and fitting shapes and blocks help children understand concepts of color, shape, size and relative concepts like inside/outside, bigger/small, above/below
• Singing and reciting rhymes and songs develops vocabulary, speech patterns and introduces new ideas
• Story telling encourages children to pay attention and to ask questions
• Painting, cutting and pasting, drawing or coloring and jigsaw puzzles develop motor skills and coordination, as well as teaching about colors, shapes and new objects

Directing and guiding play activities are an important part of a caregiver’s role. Children can often lose focus, put themselves and others at risk, or just get bored while playing. A caregiver is there to side-step these issues and lead children towards healthy development through games. A good child care professional knows when to let children play on their own, and when to control or monitor a game. A simple “What are you doing?” question during a game can lead to the child having to think through a concept, use vocabulary to explain it, and develop interpersonal interaction skills in replying.

There is nothing as precious as your child so when it comes to leaving them with a childminder you have to do everything you can to make sure that you choose an ethical one. A childminder will take care of your child for the day in their own home and are usually self-employed, while there are some basic requirements when it comes to choosing the childminder such as ensuring they are registered with Ofsted in the UK so that they can be inspected to meet regulations, there are other factors you have to take into account when choosing a childminder.

Of course a childminder is just one option of childcare but they can be ideal if you want childcare on a more personal level, if you want your child to mix with children of different ages, you want childcare that is flexible to fit your needs or you want childcare that will grow with your child, as childminders will take any ages. When looking for a childminder you should visit several before deciding which should care for your child, names of childminders can be found in Doctors surgeries, clinics and of course word of mouth if you have friends who have childminders.

You should be prepared to ask questions when you go to visit the childminder and check for certain conditions during your visit. One of the first questions you should ask is how long the childminder has been working and how long they plan on continuing to work, experience is of course a great benefit and if you plan on using the childminder for a few years then you will need to know if they will be around. You should ask how many children the childminder looks after and what ages the children are that will be in the company of your child, mixing with children of different ages can be a good thing depending on the age of your child. If your child is a very young baby then you will need to ensure that the childminder will have the time needed to take care of a baby if they have older children too. It is essential that you understand how they work, their key policies on such things as behaviour, potty training and boundaries. If you have a certain approach you want taking with your child you should make this known at the start and come to an agreement. Above all, all childminders will have Ofsted reports, this is to ensure that they meet the requirements of a childminder, ask to look at the latest report and make sure its up to scratch.

You should also make sure that the childminder holds certification in first aid; they have public liability insurance and you define the contract at the outset for such things as pay, the hours you need them to work, any holidays and holiday pay and of course the length of the contract between the two of you. Another very important consideration you should give some thought to is how you feel around the childminder, first impressions do count and your gut feelings can tell you a lot. If you feel comfortable in the childminders presence then the chances are that your child will be happy being left in their care, never rush into making a choice but give it some serious consideration before choosing your childminder.