Sending you child to childcare centers can be a hard decision to do. Most parents are concerned with the safety of their children and this is something which they are not willing to risk. Of course, if you are not with your child, you will always be scared that something bad might happen to them. Finding a safe childcare center is one of the things that mothers prioritize. There have been cases where children are admitted to hospitals because if accidents that happen in childcare centers. This is why most parents are careful when choosing the childcare centers for their child.
The parents should ask the owner if they have been license by the state’s licensing department. You need to make sure that they are legally running their business. This is really important since there are certain procedures which these businesses must go through before they are actually granted license. These procedures include checking for health and sanitation, safety policies and staff training. You need to make sure that they have passed state requirements to make sure that they are implementing proper procedures.
Starting with the staff, you need to ask how the employees are hired. You need to know if there are certain qualifications that are required for them. You also need to know if their backgrounds have been checked by the authorities or even by the owner for criminal records or child abuse. This is a sad reality that there are cases of kidnapping by caregivers. As well for child abuse, this is something which can be alarming. There are some people who actually have tendencies to do this especially when they cannot take the crying and the nagging of the child. These are the things which you need to be careful of.
You need to take not of the policies which are set by these childcare centers. You need to look at the sanitation and hygiene procedures that these centers set in order to ensure a safe place for the child. Check if they require wearing gloves when it comes to changing diapers and other things. Even when it comes to garbage disposal, these should be done properly and should be segregated. These should be out of the reach of children. Also, the staff must wash their hands after they have handled trash. Disposal of trash daily will prevent the spread of germs and bacteria in the childcare center.
Check if the staff members have proper training when it comes to dealing with children. Children have different disciplinary, nutrition and developmental needs. The staff must deal with these in the proper way. The staff should also have enough training for basic first aid. The most common accidents that happen in childcare centers include choking, and having injuries. The staff should know basic CPR, Heimlich maneuver, and even for treatments of cuts. There are training programs provided for by the local hospital or even Red Cross. As a parent, you need to make sure that the children will receive the right kind of first aid should accidents like this may happen.
The next thing that you need to check is the place. Make sure that edges of tables and cabinets are protected by foam so that when they bump, they will have no injuries. Check if there are any sharp objects lying around which children can reach which will provide a high risk of injury.
As for the cleanliness of the place, you need to check if surfaces are cleaned properly. These are the greatest source of bacterial contamination for children if not cleaned properly. In line with this is that they should make sure that the cleaning materials are kept in a locked cabinet that will not allow children to reach for it. This can really cause serious damage if your child gets exposed to these harmful chemicals.
Go to the kitchen and check how food is prepared. You need to ensure that the kitchen is a clean place to avoid contamination of the food. The cooks should always wear proper uniform and clothing when cooking. Washing of the utensils and plates must be done the right way to make sure that these are clean when used.
If the childcare centers have outdoor playgrounds, you need to make sure that the children are playing safely. There are playing sets that may be too high for them to climb and eventually cause them to fall. There may also be wires, or splinter that may cause and open wound to children. Always make sure that they keep the gates locked so that the children cannot just go out to the street which is very dangerous. Ask them if they allow the children to play without supervision outdoors. This is really dangerous since anything can happen, and without someone to check on the kids, who knows what can happen to them.
The most important thing that you should look at is whether there are sanitation rules that the center has set for the children and the staff. They should be taught proper washing of the hands and when this should be done. Childcare centers must make sure that everyone cleans their hands before and after a meal. This also applies when playing outdoors since the soil and other things there are exposed to dirt so it is best if children wash their hands before going back to the rooms. This also prevents spreading of germs among the things used by children.
Choosing a safe childcare center for your child can really be a hard thing to do. There are so many things which you may need to consider. No one can blame you, you are the mother and you only want what’s best for your child. If you are planning on finding the perfect childcare center for your child, you may need to have a lot of options and make sure that you ask them the same set of questions. From here, you can narrow down your choices until you have chosen the right childcare center for your child. When you have chosen one, make sure to check from time to time if they are keeping the quality of service that they give your child from the start.
For more:
How to start a daycare Center by StartADaycare.org
