Childcare for changing shifts

Considerations When Making a Decision on a Child Care Centre

17 March 2016

Guillaume Vidal

Becoming a parent means that you will require child care services at one time or another. Your individual situation will dictate if this will be a long-term arrangement or an occasional requirement. However, not matter why you need these services, it is always best to ensure that you start your selection process early. This gives you ample time to find the most suitable child care centre that will meet your child's needs as well as your personal preferences. Here are some of the things that you should consider when making a decision on a child care centre.

Consider the ratio of children to child minders

The first thing that you should keep in mind when contemplating various child care centres is the number of minders that are available at any given time in relation to the number of children at the centre. Too many children assigned to one individual can be overwhelming. This makes room for errors and accidents and the minder will not be able to keep tabs on everyone that is under their care.

Nevertheless, the ratio of minders to children will also depend on the age of the children that are being watched. For instance, infants would have a lower ratio of child minders to babies, considering that this stage requires extensive hands-on work. Toddlers, on the other hand, can interact with each other and are becoming autonomous; hence they may not need too many minders watching them at the same time.

Consider the diapering procedures at the child care centre

The potty training age will vary from one family to the next. As such, most child care centres will have to take on the responsibility of diapering not only infants, but toddlers too. If your child is still in diapers, it would be prudent to consider the procedures that are in place at the various child care centres that you are contemplating. For instance, diaper-changing stations should never be in close proximity to any areas that are used for food preparation.

Another thing to consider would be protective gear for the child minders when changing diapers. Since they are caring for numerous children, it would be easy to spread bacterial or viral infections from one child to the next by coming into contact with their body fluids. As such, lean more toward facilities that provide their minders with gloves as well as sanitizing products for the diaper changes. 

For more information on child care, contact a company like One World Children’s Centre.

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