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KidiHealth’s Tips to Parents When Choosing Child Care
If you as a primary caregiver are planning to sign up your baby to a daycare facility and go back to your daily work, you will need to find a facility that fits your standards and your child and family conditions. Here is a list of tips from KidiHealth for you to consider in this regard.
Be Informed and Start Your Search Early
Prepare to make visits to childcare programs with confidence and knowledge about indicators of quality childcare, which can include:
- Promoting positive relationships among all children and adults;
- A curriculum that promotes learning and development in each of the following areas: social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive;
- Receiving information about your child’s development and learning on a regular basis;
- Children’s health, nutrition, and safety are supported;
- Access to an online clinic which KidiHealth calls “Virtual Clinic”;
- Teachers are knowledgeable about child development and early childhood education;
- Family engagement and participation is encouraged; and
- The environment has a variety of developmentally appropriate materials and equipment.
Understanding these indicators will help you make an informed choice for your child and family.
Visit the Daycare Centre
The parent-provider relationship is critical to a child’s development. KidiHealth recommends that you visit each daycare centre a few times, and that you speak with a variety of staff to see if the childcare environment would be a good fit for your child as they grow. If your child is older, for example a toddler or preschooler, bring them along to gauge their reaction to the childcare environment.
Ask Questions
Don’t be afraid to ask about things like meals, nap time, teacher-child ratios, how positive guidance techniques are used and does the centre use a curriculum. Review the childcare centre’s compliance reports (KidiHealth keeps track of those for all daycare centres that use our app). Also, their daycare license should be prominently placed where parents can see them within all provincially-licensed daycare centres.
Make Drop-In Visits Often
Once a child is enrolled in a centre, make frequent visits. Parents should be encouraged to visit, even if it is an unannounced visit. Maintaining an open partnership with a childcare provider will ensure the child is receiving care that meets the family’s expectations, as well as the child’s developmental needs.
Safe Sleep
Babies should sleep alone, on their back and in a crib.
Virtual Clinic
The KidiHealth Virtual Clinic is a program within the KidiHealth app that makes sure that babies and children receive the health care they need. It refers children to healthcare specialists when they need it most. The main KidiHealth module is an early needs assessment referral tool. It allows daycare staff to refer children to pediatric specialists in speech, psychotherapy, nutrition, and health. More information on the Virtual Clinic can be found here.