There are many things you need to look out for when you're trying to determine if a daycare facility is good enough for your child. Here are a few signs of an excellent daycare centre that you should check for when visiting facilities in your local area.
It has plenty of modern child-safety features that are in good condition
Like a home, a daycare centre should be equipped with lots of child-safety features that can protect the children who spend their days in it. When visiting a facility, you should check that it not only has these features but also that these items are modern and appear to be well-maintained.
Some of the things you should look for are functional stair-gates at the base and top of any sets of stairs, as well as at the doorways that lead to classrooms or playrooms in the facility (so that children cannot just wander out when these doors are open). The bars on these gates should be intact, with no missing ones that could allow smaller children to squeeze through the gates.
There should be covers on the plug sockets as well to stop children from accessing the socket holes. These should be fitted securely and show no signs of damage. Additionally, if the facility is situated above the ground floor, all of its windows should have sturdy window guards on them to ensure the children cannot open them.
The staff are able to quickly calm down children who are upset
If you visit a busy daycare centre, you are bound to witness at least one or two children having temper tantrums, simply because young children can be irrational and are not always able to express their needs calmly. If during your visit, you spot a child who is either on the verge of getting upset or who is already having a full-on tantrum, you should observe how the staff handle this behaviour.
If they remain composed and respond to the child in a measured, friendly manner that quickly leads to him or her calming down, then you should take this as a very good sign, as when your own child starts staying at this centre and has days where they are very grumpy or cross, you will know that the staff will neither overreact and make them more upset nor coddle them to the point where they become a bit spoilt.
