You need a new daycare for your son or daughter. It is incredibly difficult for most parents to just leave their child with strangers and walk away. You want to be sure that the workers who take care of the children are doing a great job. It should be possible to have an observation appointment at the facility before bringing your child in for their first official day at this child care center. There are many things you may notice when you stay for a few hours to watch your child play and interact with their caregivers.

Interaction is key

One of the things to notice is how well the daycare professionals really engage your child. Are you talking to the child and introducing him to other children? If providers are simply standing in one area while children play, there is little interaction between adults and children. That could mean that your child will not receive the level of care that you want them to receive. Observe how the child interacts with other children. Do the caregivers make sure everything goes well?

Notice to other parents

Are other parents coming and going without following procedures on how to do this safely at the facility? They should have to log in successfully. Children must be received and brought in according to the established rules. You don’t want to see just anyone walk in and pick up a child without any setup protocol. Pay attention to the process to make sure everyone does it the same way. Ask questions about their policies. A lax policy is not safe and is a bad sign.

Stay to eat

What are you feeding your child? Are you properly prepared? Ask to see the kitchen. Find out the rules that exist around snacks and meals. How many caregivers are there for the number of children during the lunchtime routine? You want to know that your child has access to good quality food and you want to make sure the children are being monitored during this time. A cleanliness level is another thing to notice. Is the location clean?

It is important that you notice all of these things when looking at a nursery. It is worth taking the time to observe how your child interacts with others. You also want to see what caregivers do to make sure your child remains happy and safe. You will likely leave your child in a daycare in good conscience when the facility is maintained, and you will see that the employees are looking after the children.