People ask me all of the time, “Do you have any recommendations for childcare?” or “Where is the best daycare?” I, of course, have my opinions of which places are great, but I have not seen every daycare around. As a speech-language pathologist, I have had the privilege to work with children in many different settings: our clinic, homes, and daycares. Some daycares were a beacon of light. They were wonderful places for all children, especially my clients that needed speech therapy. I loved going to these daycares. There was order in the classroom, the classes were small, the food was nutritious and the caregivers were organized and caring. On the other hand, I dreaded visiting some daycares. These were the daycares where there was little to no structure, high caregiver turnover, maximum provider/child ratios, and young, undercompensated staff. I could spend days telling stories of crazy stuff I’ve seen in daycares.
When I was still a student in graduate school, I accompanied my supervisor to a speech session at a particular daycare (The Daycare-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named). This was my first session doing my birth to three clinical rotation. From the outside it looked amazing. The reception area was nice, the center was clean, and the security was state-of-the-art with a hand scanner to let parents and visitors in. I immediately thought that this was a great daycare. My mind was quickly changed after an hour long session in the classroom with our 2-year old client. The classroom had two caretakers and had twenty-two, 2-year old children (maximum allowed by the state) playing in a room, which was the size of a bedroom. The room had a picnic style table, a changing table, a mat on the floor and one small book shelf of toys (not enough for all of the children to have one toy each). Honestly, it reminded me of a pig pen. During our visit, which was after nap time, the children were running around the room with one caretaker watching and one caretaker changing diaper after diaper. There was no curriculum and the children were fighting over the few toys they had. Most of the children were dirty and had dried snot on their face. The combination of the small room, the kids yelling and crying, and the caretaker yelling at all of them was too much. It was so loud and chaotic in that room I couldn’t wait to get out. We were there long enough to witness snack time. Once again, one caretaker was watching the twenty-two, 2-year olds while one was preparing snacks. The kids were given a handful of cheese crackers on a coffee filter with nothing to drink. My supervisor asked the caretakers if our client could have something to drink as crackers are really dry. The caretaker stated that they give them drinks after snack so they don’t make a mess. The caretakers were not “mean” they were just overworked. Being in a room with that many 2-year oldchildren, all day, every day, would overwhelm anybody. When I left that day, I went home and cried to my husband. I told him with tears in my eyes that when we had our own kids I would have to stay home. I could never let my children spend the majority of their young life in that environment.
Since then, I have spent time in approximately 30 different daycares in West Texas working with caretakers and clients. I have seen some amazing centers and some not-so good to even just plain bad centers. One major thing I have learned is that you cannot judge if a daycare is good or bad by how it looks or who owns it. There are many factors that determine if a daycare is going to be a positive and stimulating experience for a child or a nightmare. Based on my experiences, I am going to share some tips on how to choose a “good” daycare.
- Ask trusted friends and family for recommendations. A good daycare center should have a welcoming, friendly atmosphere and be known for its nurturing environment. Unless parents you like and respect rave about it, the center is probably not one you’ll like either.
- Look for online reviews. To find out how a particular daycare ranks with other parents, read reviews on sites like Care.com, Yelp, or Google reviews.
** Be careful with online reviews! Some centers may give parents “incentives” to complete reviews and you don’t know these parents. They may just drop off their kids and have not done their due diligence. (The Daycare-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is one of the best rated daycares in Lubbock…Yikes!) **
- Interview staff/policy check. Remember, nobody is going to take care of your child like you. With that being said, it is important that the caretaker or the center has childcare philosophies that line up with your own (i.e. discipline, “Do the caregivers use time-outs?”; feeding “What snacks or drinks are provided?”; sleeping “When are naps offered?” “How are fussy babies put to sleep?” etc.) Be sure to ask about their sick-child-policy. A center with a strict policy that will keep sick children (and staff) away from the center makes sense. Good centers help cut down on illness by requiring all children and employees to have current immunizations as well. Also check their cellphone policy. If the caretaker’s phones are not locked in their locker or purse they will be on them in the classroom and NOT watching your child. (I’ve seen it first hand)
- Drop by different times of day. Visit the daycare at different times of the day to get a sense of how the staff interacts with the children and what the routine is. You should visit unannounced a few times after you’ve enrolled your child, just to see how things are going. Sometimes your visits will confirm that the place is great, but sometimes the visits may be like my visit to the Daycare-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…alarming!
- Don’t judge a book by its cover. Just because a daycare has fancy state-of-the-art security, amazing playground equipment, and Biblical scriptures in the hallways, does not automatically equate to a “good” daycare. Some of the best daycares I have worked in were located in the worst part of town and honestly looked a little rough. It ultimately comes down to the directors, the caregivers, and the overall philosophy of the center.
- Organization. Every daycare should have clearly established regulations for everything from operating hours to how to handle emergencies. The center should be able to supply you with a written copy of its policies. If a daycare center doesn’t have clear rules and organization how can you trust them with billing and most importantly, caring for your child.
- Regular and stimulating curriculum. The best daycare centers have structured schedules that include plenty of time for physical activity, quiet time (i.e. daily reading), circle time, individual activities, meals, snacks, and free time. TV and videos should play little or no part in what your child does. TV or videos should be for special occasions only (i.e. holiday party). Children need a place that offers a regular curriculum with a range of age-appropriate activities.
- Caregiver staff. It would be ideal if the individuals taking care of your children were educated with at least two years of college in early childhood development; however, this is often not the case. The state of Texas only requires that caregiver staff be at least 18 year of age and have a high school diploma or equivalent. According to a policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding quality early education and childcare, the following are indicators of “high quality” concerning staff experience and training:
- College degrees in early childhood education
- Child development associate’s credential
- Ongoing in-service training
- Low turnover rate
- Parent’s first-hand observations of care
Making sure the caregivers are trained in CPR and other emergency training is also very important. If staff training isn’t up to snuff, and they seem overworked or don’t stick around very long, the center isn’t for you. Also, observe how the staff interacts with the children in their care. Ideally, a caregiver should be on the floor playing with the kids or holding one on her lap. Sure signs of a “less-than-ideal” situation are caregivers who speak to children only in baby talk or who yell or speak harshly to them.
- Compliance with provider/child ratios. Make sure the center has plenty of staff so your child gets the attention and care he/she needs. The ratio of caregivers to children can vary, depending on group size and state. The provider/child ratios for daycare centers in Texas can be found by clicking the link. This is the states “maximum” which does not mean it is best practice. It is just the maximum child/provider ratio allowed before a center can get into trouble. The American Pediatric Association recommends:
- Babies, the ratio is one caregiver for every three children if a group has six infants, or one for every four if it has eight.
- Toddlers 12 to 28 months, the ratio is one to three for six children, and one to four for eight or more children.
- For children age 21 to 36 months, these same ratios expand to one to five for ten children, and one to six for a group of 12.
- Preschoolers 30 to 48 months, the ratio should be one to six for a group of 12 children, one to seven for a group of 14, one to eight for a group of 16, and one to nine for a group of 18.
- 4- and 5-year-olds, the ratio should be one to eight for a group of 16 children, one to nine for a group of 18 children, and one to ten for a group of 20 children.
- Healthy Food. Make sure to ask what the meals and snacks consist of. Healthy food habits start early. The daycare center should offer a variety of nutritious food choices for your child.
- Clean and Safe Facility It’s a red flag if you don’t see staff washing their hands after every diaper change and sanitizing the changing area! Are the floors clean? How does it smell? Is the play area well organized? Are the toys age appropriate and in good shape? Make sure they have fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and they practice a fire drill. Look for plenty of space, too. According to National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), centers should have at least 35 square feet of indoor space per child and 75 square feet per child outside. (The Daycare-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is starting to sound pretty bad, right!?)
- Current Licensing. The requirements for licensing generally ensure basic health and safety of a program but not necessarily high quality. A current license isn’t a guarantee of quality care; that’s why you have to evaluate the caregivers themselves! If possible, look for a facility that has also passed the stringent accreditation process required by NAEYC, a benchmark of quality. NAEYC database.
- Trust your gut! You are the parent! You know when something doesn’t feel quite right. You may be turned off by a daycare everyone in town loves. If that happens, keep searching. Your child deserves good, nurturing care. If something just doesn’t feel right go somewhere else!
Bottom line is that you are your child’s strongest advocate! You are the most consistent source of love and support he/she will have. Children need a schedule that is responsive to their needs, including appropriate stimulation and time to rest. They need to be talked to and played with. They need love and attention. Do your due diligence and make sure that the people that are spending time with your child have your child’s best interests at heart…not their bottom dollar.
Dara L. Jackson is a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist and co-owner of Midland Speech Center. Dara’s passion is to help children and adults reach their communication goals in collaboration with their families. If you would like more information about improving your child’s speech and language, Dara is happy to answer your questions.
Fiene R. 13 Indicators of Quality Child Care: Research Update. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; 2002. Available at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality-ind02. Accessed December 1, 2003