In article ,
Ericka Kammerer wrote:

The big challenge is that few people know how to evaluate
quality daycare or preschool programs, so many just sort of freeze
and don't ask a lot of questions or don't spend some real time in
the center to see for themselves how things are going. While I
think that it is difficult to *create* a good classroom, it's one
of those things that if you only have to *evaluate* it, it's not
all that difficult. You may not know precisely what you'd need to
do to be a great childcare provider, but you'll know a good situation
when you see it if you spend some time there and drop in unannounced
on occasion. I'm not sure why people feel so inhibited about asking
to see classrooms in action, but that's ultimately what you need to
do. It's possible for the childcare providers to try to put on a
show for you, but the kids don't lie. You can see from their
behavior how things are going.


Going by my one bad experience:

1. Go with your gut. If you get a bad vibe, cross it off your list.
2. Look around, so you get an idea of what happens at day cares.
3. Do not base your decision on the newness and shininess of the facilities.
4. Read the daily programme.
5. If the director is not trained in child care, leave immediately.
6. If the office is disorganised, leave immediately. I should have known it
was bad because the Xmas tree was stuck upside down in a box on the office
floor, the files were higgledy-piggledy, and the director handed money from
his own wallet to staff for a petty cash purchase -- without recording
anything!
7. One crying child does not mean the day care is bad. Avoid places where
the children don't display emotion/animation or where children appear
cowed/depressed. Look at how the staff handle the crying child, and look at
how the other children respond.
8. A children's vegetable garden is a good sign.
9. Low turnover of staff is a good sign.
10. A long waiting list is a good sign.
11. Lots of artwork on the walls -- in different media -- is a good sign.
12. Wooden equipment (shelves, toy stove, etc) is a good sign.
13. Frequent use of stencils (do you call them that? Photocopied material
for kids to colour in) is a bad sign.

The only thing I disagree with Ericka about is dropping in unannounced; I
think that's rude, and it can be very inconvenient for the carers. Certainly
you should not pop in between 11:30 and 2pm; that's lunch and nap time. Day
care centres will ask you to come at about 10:30am, as a rule, which is
usually when they are having a quieter, organised indoor activity after the
more vigorous activity earlier, but the children are not yet tired out and
cranky!

Bear in mind that in my context, we have strict State and Federal regulations
about such matters as floor space ratios, carer ratios, and so forth.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/