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

Choosing the Right Kind of Care for Disabled Children

Before settling on a professional, consider the options for care for special needs children.

• Child minders provide care for disabled children in their (child minder’s) own homes, while nannies will care for the child in the child’s own home. While childminders may have specific timings, many can work with flexible timings, depending on the schedule of the child’s parents and the number of children allowed for one child minder to manage at a time.
• Nannies are usually more flexible in their timings, and can provide care for disabled children in the comfort of a familiar home and surroundings.
• Day care centers and pre-school nurseries provide care for disabled children up to five years of age for a few hours a day and some offer all-day child minding services.

Care for Special Needs Children – Parents’ Tips

1. Qualification of child minder: The first factor to consider is qualifications and registration when it comes to finding child care for special needs children. With registrations, child care professionals go through tests and checks to ensure that they are suitable to be with children, that they work with parents to provide service in the best interest of the child, and that they create an atmosphere that is conducive for happiness, learning and safety.
2. Interview with child minder: Set aside time when trying to find care for special needs children to talk to the professional you are considering, and treat this as an interview. Explain your child’s needs in full, and ask about facilities and activities for children. When discussing your requirements with the potential child minder, remember that you know your child best and understand what he or she needs; you need to communicate what you want from care for your special needs child.
3. Childcare setting: The best way to recognize whether a child minder will provide the best care for your special needs child is to visit them in their homes. If other children seem happy and well-cared for, if there is enough space for learning games and creative stimulus, then the child minder is likely to be good at the job. Other co-workers there should seem happy and caring as well.
4. Other commitments: When deciding on a form of care for disabled children, parents need to consider regular medical or therapy appointments as well, and whether the childcare provider will be able to take the child to these sessions.
5. Appropriate care for disabled children: Finding childcare for disabled children is not only about the child minder. Observe the age- and ability-appropriateness of the activities to understand if your child will fit in and be happy.
6. Medical requirements: If your child has medical needs or treatment, the child minder should be able to administer treatment correctly and efficiently. For many parents, a child minder should have experience in caring for special needs children with the same condition, and this is a valid preference, especially if the disability is severe.

Care for disabled children requires training, experience, patience and understanding, but a certified professional will be more likely to help your special needs child develop and grow.

References :

1. Child care options. National Childminding Association
2. Registered and approved childminders. Parent’s Centre
4. Childcare for disabled children. Direct Gov UK

During the first three years of a child’s life, cognitive and intellectual skills are at their highest. By the age of two years, a toddler can pronounce and understand the meaning of between 50-100 words. If this time period passes without significant development of children’s vocabulary, it will be more difficult for them to learn later in childhood.

Caregivers and Child Vocabulary

Singing, talking to the child and playing games are activities that parents naturally indulge in to help development of the child’s vocabulary, as well as other skills. It has been proven that reading to a child from as early as six months aids in the development of the child’s vocabulary.

Child care professionals may have limited time with children, but even this time, if constructively used, can significantly help in developing language skills. Child specialists, caregivers and parents use a mix of day-to-day conversation, reading, singing, vocabulary questions and learning games to encourage children to improve and widen their vocabularies.

Reading and Vocabulary Questions to Develop Children’s Vocabulary

Reading offers a chance for parent and child to bond, to spend quiet time together without distraction, and for the parent to introduce vocabulary questions and new concepts through the book. While reading, ensure that you ask vocabulary questions to draw answers from the child, and allow for the child to ask questions too. Simple vocabulary questions like “What is this big animal here?” are enough to draw attention to a new concept or idea. Choose books that have bright colors, favorite animals or cartoon characters, or big letters.

Everyday Conversation and Learning Games for Children’s Vocabulary

Talking to a child about everything around, all the new objects or concepts, people, as well as his or her own reactions to different sights creates an atmosphere in which the child feels free to express himself. A trip to the supermarket or a play session with friends can become a learning experience when guided properly and when new ideas are added to the child’s vocabulary. As a caregiver, when talking to a child, provide information but encourage more conversation from the child to keep his attention from wandering.

Learning games are a vital part of language skills and development of children’s vocabulary. Through a fun activity with vocabulary questions that is monitored by a caregiver, either parent or professional, a child will receive lessons in life skills, as well as language and vocabulary.

Beginning early with speech and vocabulary development has its advantages. A child who has a better command over the language is able to express himself more clearly, and will find it easier to access further learning through conversations, books and interaction with peers and friends.

References
1. Speech & Language Development Milestones. NICD
2. Home Treatment – Speech & Language Development. WebMD

Child Minders : How to Identify Disabilities & Special Needs

A good child minder is a watchful observer of the ward’s progress and development, and watches for irregularities caused by some form of child disability. Physical disability in children is naturally easier to detect than mental or intellectual disability. Intellectual disability in children is harder to detect, often only making an appearance in pre-school years. It is also difficult to ascribe a specific cause to intellectual disability in children because this form of disability is usually caused by a combination of factors. Because it is hard to detect  cognitive developmental or intellectual disability, doctors perform regular tests on children, questioning parents and testing the child for routine development and growth.

Physical and Developmental Signs of Disabilities in Children

Some physical signs of disability in infants are deformities in hands and feet, an unusually big or small sized head, or irregular facial features. Vomiting, suffering seizures, delayed development of motor skills like sitting up or rolling, and inability to feed and grow are other signs of disabilities in children. In many disabled children, behavioural patterns are abnormal for children their age, especially in pre-school stages. Language development and speech may be delayed, as well as ability to perform simple tasks of dressing and feeding oneself. Also, children with disabilities may display outbursts of aggression, weeping, anger or temper tantrums caused by frustration and confusion.

Learning Disabilities in Children

Learning disabilities in children are common, with 5% or more elementary-age children being affected. Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and aphasia are some of these learning disabilities in children. Various signs that help with early detection are:

• Trouble learning the alphabet, spelling and handwriting, vocabulary skills may develop late and remain limited.
• Cannot follow simple directions, cannot organize speech and thought processes, may not understand rules of conversation and may stand close to the talker.
• Ordering items or telling a story in chronological order is difficult.
• Children with disabilities of any sort are subject to mood swings, depression, feelings of anger, temper tantrums and violent behavior with no particular cause.

Child minders should be able to deal patiently with the outbursts of children with disabilities when they occur, and use different methods to curb the negativity as well.