When parents are searching for a daycare center for their children, of course, they are going to look for the best place for their child and their family. But when it’s your first time daycare shopping, you may have an idea of what the ideal daycare center looks like in your head but you don’t know exactly what to look for to find that picture.
Here are the 3 things you should look for when daycare shopping that make a daycare center an amazing place for your child!
The 3 Things That Make a Daycare Center AMAZING!
- High Teacher-to-Child Ratios
High teacher-to-child ratios mean that you will have smaller class sizes or multiple teachers in a room with the children. These adjusted ratios in a classroom allow teachers the ability to give a lot more time and individual attention to each child.
This allows for more opportunities for nurturing, growth, and personal development for each child in the classroom. Studies show that when children spend time in a nurturing environment with trusted adults that encourage their growth and development—whether at home or at daycare/school—they develop and grow into a more confident and capable little person.
- Skilled and Nurturing Staff
The key element that plays into creating that nurturing and healthy environment for children in smaller classes is the teacher.
Experienced teachers will know how to create a space where kids feel safe and can learn and grow, but that isn’t the only element a good childcare teacher needs to have. They need to be kind, caring, empathetic, and sincere as well. These qualities will play into how they interact with each child in different scenarios, whether it’s through play, a teaching moment, or when tough interactions between little friends happen.
Teachers with these skills and qualities will create an emotionally and physically comfortable space for the kids in their class, and this will help the children thrive.
- Fun Learning Environment
Good teachers will create age-appropriate and fun learning environments for their classes, including a variety of activities like crafts, games, worksheets, and hands-on learning experiences. A good daycare teacher will create opportunities for children in their class to learn and exercise their unending curiosity in a safe and creative way.
Whether they are teaching the basics of colors and shapes to one-year-olds or laying the foundations of reading for preschoolers, a good daycare teacher will find fun and unique ways to teach the children in their class about the world around them and help prepare them for the next stage in their life.
As you shop around for the perfect daycare center for you and your family, be sure to keep on the lookout for these three things as you tour different daycare centers. When these three elements are present, you know you have found a special and amazing place for your child!