When finding a daycare, you can be confident that there are a few things every parent should do to ensure that their child or children are in a safe environment where they can learn and grow. Cheap is not always bad and expensive is not always better. Here we have put together some easy tips that can help you on your quest!
Know your budget-
This may sound simple, but you wouldn’t believe how many people honestly don’t know what their budget is or how much they can afford. Most people end up stuck because everything they find is out of their personal price range or they don’t know what prices are reasonable for what they get. Most people don’t mind spending more if it’s worth the price they’re paying, but no one likes a bad deal.
Rent, Rent, Rent-
Do you want the daycare closer to home or your workplace? It’s a great question and it honestly depends on what makes the most sense from person to person and also from city to city. Things to watch out for are traffic and whether only you or you and your spouse can pick them up. Traffic is important because some day care centers close at certain times, so if you choose to be close to home and your journey is 1 hour and you are late every day, it may not be a good option. As for whether you or you and your spouse will be doing pickups, you may want to make sure it’s a reasonable trip for both of you.
Does my child need special accommodations?-
Something all parents need to think about is whether their child needs special accommodations, even based on little things like certain diets and other needs, and whether the center can provide adequate care for those needs. Sometimes larger daycares because they have so many children can have problems and leave room for mistakes to happen, but you could look for a licensed daycare home that will typically get your child more attention.
Learning-
This is an important question, will your child learn in this daycare, and if so, what? Not all daycares are the same, some see kids as money and all they care about is making sure all the kids get home so they can come back. Now, on the other hand, some daycares have set up a curriculum for your child to learn and grow. This can especially help children who are not yet in school before they enter pre-K or kindergarten.
I am a marketing professional and the son of an amazing mom who runs an amazing home daycare called sweetpeasdaycare.