It can be overwhelming to know where to begin when starting to sit down to look at options. When first starting to look at daycares in your area, here are a few things to consider looking into before you book a visit:

• Location, how does it work for you? Close to home or close to work?
• Look for a daycare that offers diverse activities throughout the week. A good mix of play, learning, and physical activities can keep your child engaged and aid their overall development.
• Appropriately qualified teachers
• Music, physical activities (indoors & outdoors)
• A menu that works for your family
• Good ratings from other parents.
• Each State or province will have its own regulations and governing bodies; you can check your area for more details.
• If you want to select unregulated daycare providers, make yourself aware of the pros and cons: Parents are responsible for monitoring all aspects—including quality, health, and safety—and there is no public oversight (except when a complaint is made against a care provider).

Do they offer part-time or full-time options that work for you?

Your personal circumstance will determine whether you want full time or part time childcare, as well as what works best for your child. Make sure the daycare has the best options available for you, and whether you require flexibility within this.

Are there certain questions I should ask at my daycare visit?

Before your visit, have a checklist of all your questions ready. Think about your expectations for your child, what you’d like them to get out of daycare, and how the childcare works for your family and schedule. Here are a few good questions to begin:

• What is the ratio of children to educators?
• How many times do the children go outside during each day?
• What do you offer in your day? What is the ratio of free play/ naps/ structured activities?
• What are your drop-off/pick-up policies and times?
• What is your policy on what we need to provide – name labels? Diapers? Food?
• Do you share a weekly menu?
• Do all staff have pediatric first aid training?
• Will my child have a dedicated person looking after them?
• What is your sick policy?
• What is your payment policy? (do we pay for holidays? Can you pay by credit etc.)
• How do you communicate with parents?

What to look out for when visiting daycare facilities, what should a daycare look like?

The center should feel spacious, airy, colorful, and clean. Facilities to look out for should include:

• Outdoor play area (depending on where you live, check for shade and that the area can be used in all seasons etc.)
• Does the pick-up and drop-off area provide parking and easy access?
• Age-appropriate wash facilities
• A clean, well-labeled changing area
• Quiet area “cozy corner”
• Check where kids will sleep, and that the cots are clean
• Clean & safe kitchen, ask to see where food is prepared to ensure it’s clean and well labeled
• Plenty of toys, books, and role-play activities

What should I expect of the staff?

All staff should be friendly, approachable, well-qualified, and communicative. But overall, this is a gut feeling you’ll get during your visit. Remember that you’re leaving you’re leaving your baby or toddler with them, so you should have minimal hesitation about them.

How much communication should I expect to get from daycare?

As a parent, you’ll want to know exactly what’s happening at daycare. Ensure you understand how they will communicate with you, how often, and what information you’ll receive. This could include:

What did they eat that day? How many bottles were provided, and how much did they take?

• What did they eat that day? How many bottles were provided, and how much did they take?
• How long and how well they slept
• How many wet/ soiled diapers
• Any special activities they did
• Anything that made them upset that day
• Any bumps, bruises or accidents (especially as they start to walk, it’s inevitable)

Starting daycare is a big deal, and you have every right to get all questions answered. Any good daycare will be welcoming and excited to answer any questions, show you the facilities, and provide you with menus, policies, reviews, qualifications, and more.

Ask for references! 

Ask other parents in the area; they’ll happily provide honest opinions on daycare centers. Best of luck finding the perfect area for your little one; they’ll be spending a lot of their day there, so it must be a good fit. Once you find the perfect daycare, they’ll feel like family! 

The post What to Look for When Choosing a Daycare appeared first on The Mabelhood.

Kids & Company, a leading child care and early education provider with locations across the United States and Canada, provides their top tips below.

Start Early 

The earlier you begin your search, the more options you will have available to you, and the more time you will have to evaluate the factors most important to your family.

Learn about Parent Communication Practices

Communication is a factor that can greatly vary between daycare staff and educators. We suggest asking about the daycare’s methods of communication so you know what to expect.

Some daycares provide verbal updates at pickup, or slips of paper with details of the day. Others, like Kids & Company, provide daily digital updates or even secure webcam feeds for families to check in on their children throughout the day.

Plan a Transition

It’s entirely normal for both parents and children to experience separation anxiety during the initial days of daycare. Trust that daycare providers are experienced in handling these situations.

If possible, we recommend having your child start daycare one week (or at least a couple of days) before the date by which you require care.

Kids & Company offers a free transition week to all new families. This way, parents have time to participate in the transition period without distraction, and you and your child have space to process the change.

Check Out the Menu (if the daycare offers meals)

It’s a good idea to get a sense of the daycare’s menu and food philosophy so that you know what your child will be served, and in case of any allergies, intolerances, or food preferences. Some daycares don’t offer any food, while others offer hot lunches and nutritious snacks each day.

Label Everything

Children’s belongings can easily get mixed up in a daycare setting. Labeling your child’s clothes, bottles, and personal items helps the daycare provider keep things organized. It also ensures that your child’s belongings don’t get misplaced.

To learn some strategies for effective labeling for daycares, check out this blog “Labelling for Childcare with Mabel’s Labels: The Ultimate Guide for Busy Parents”.

Starting daycare is a significant milestone in your child’s early development. By understanding and embracing these insights, you can contribute to a positive daycare experience for both your child and the dedicated professionals who will be caring for them.

This blog was written by our friends Kids & Company, a leading provider of childcare and early learning. Learn more about them, here, or fill out an inquiry form, here.

The post Daycare Dilemma? Expert Tips for Choosing the Perfect Child Care appeared first on The Mabelhood.

Prepare the night before. 

Don’t rush! Do as much as you can the night before; rushing kids overstimulates them and increases their stress hormones, which leads to tantrums. Be prepared the night before, so you’re not rushing your kids and creating a stressful morning for everyone.

Stick to a routine. 

Babies and toddlers do better when they know what to expect. Keeping a routine means knowing what steps are coming and feeling less anxious about what’s coming. So from the morning breakfast and dressing to getting in the car, keeping the sequence the same.

Keep it quick.  

Don’t linger! Even if your baby cries, shrieks, and reaches out for you with that desperate look in their eyes. Just keep walking, it feels painful, but it’s better for them in the long run. Your early childhood educators will often say they were fine within minutes of leaving. If you linger, you give them hope that maybe they don’t need to stay, but of course, they do- so you’re sending mixed messages which makes the goodbye harder.

Find a special ritual.

Have a drop-off ritual (hang jacket and bag, change shoes, hug, pass off to daycare worker, a quick kiss, and off you go).   

Don’t skip out 

Always make sure you say goodbye. It can be tempting (especially when you think you may cry!) to slip out without them noticing. Once they realize you’ve gone, they’ll be sad and left without any reassurance that you’ll be back. Always say goodbye and that you’ll be back later. 

Remember that babies, toddlers, and kids need time to process. They want to know what’s happening and what comes next. Routine and ritual reassure them that you’ll return like you did the day before. Keeping to a daycare morning routine with a confident and quick goodbye will allow everyone to ease into the transition quicker. 

Many early childhood educators also noted that the first week will be rough but usually gets better by the end of the week. The second week- that’s the worst, and it’s common. Once kids realize this is their new normal, they get sad about it again. But it passes, and soon you’ll be dropping them off, and they won’t even look back at you (and then you’ll cry again for a different reason, lol isn’t parenting fun!?)

Lastly, on the first day of drop-off, give yourself a few hours in the morning if you can. You’ll likely feel emotional (often wrought with guilt and happy about a small taste of freedom- which leads to more guilt for feeling that… and so on). So if you can have a few hours before heading to work- take your puffy eyes to the coffee shop and take some time to yourself to feel proud, reflect and gather yourself before starting work.  

 You got this, mama!

Oh…did we mention the daycare germs? That’s a whole thing- here are some tips to prep yourself!   
Plus, don’t forget to properly label your items for daycare! 

The post Tips for a Smooth Daycare Drop-Off: Short & Sweet appeared first on The Mabelhood.