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How to Choose the Best Daycare for Your Child

While choosing a day-care, there are a lot of things to consider like the reputation of the institute and academic programs they offer for pre-schoolers and toddlers. The licensing and certifications of the nannies and teachers must be considered as well. Taking all these factors into account makes choosing a daycare that meets all the criteria difficult.

The best way to boost your child’s learning is choosing the best daycare. In Markham, there are several reputed schools providing these services and the following tips will help you to choose the best one for your child.

Determine What Your Child Needs

Before you start researching on all the reputed daycare near you, determining the priorities regarding your child’s education is important. Every daycare provides different curriculums and activities or has a different approach to teaching. The following are some important factors that you should consider before choosing a daycare:

  • The daycare timing and whether it is convenient for you
  • The ease of commuting to the daycare
  • The areas of interest in your child or the curriculums you want your child to experience
  • Extra-curricular activities offered by the daycare

Children at daycare

Criteria to Consider to Find the Best Daycare

When you are searching the internet for “affordable daycare near me”, several options will come up. To narrow down your search keep the following factors in mind:

  • Safety standards:

The highest safety standards should be implemented by the daycare that you are considering. CCTV access, protocols for emergency situations, and thoroughly monitored school transport are some important factors that you should look into. The management should be approachable and responsible. You should visit the daycare and interact with the teachers and spend a considerable amount of time to learn all you can about their safety rules and regulations. Any reputed and licensed daycare will not have verification over the phone which is another indicative factor that you should note.

  • License and certificates:

A licensed daycare should always be your first choice as it indicates the standard of education and facilities they provide. The following are certain things you can do to find out about the license of the daycare:

  • Licensing bodies require the institutes to display their license prominently. Hence, when you visit the daycare, look for the license and ask the owner about it. Take note whether they are willing to show it or if there is reluctance.
  • Speak with the teachers and nannies at the daycare to find out whether they are certified. It will be best if you can see the certificates and find out about the courses, they have taken up to upgrade their skills.
  • There should be at least one person at the daycare who is available all day and has the required first aid certification.
  • Personalized care

Every child is special and unique, requiring a personalized treatment to learn. This is particularly true for very small children who have impressionable minds, and hence require delicate and tactful handling so that they grow up to be confident and enjoy the learning process. Choose a daycare with a low adult to child ratio as it will be easier for the staff to personally tend to your child’s need.

  • Meals and snacks

Depending on the timing of the daycare program, they will provide lunch, breakfast or snacks. If your child has any special dietary needs, it should be conveyed to the daycare management and you will also have to consult them about the availability of the required food.

Here are a few things you should ask the management and convey them regarding the child’s diet:

  • If your child is allergic to certain foods, notify the institute regarding the special requirements. There are many affordable daycare options that cater to children with special needs.
  • Is there enough variety in the meals and snacks served to the children? This is an important question to ask the management and you should check the meal plans frequently. Your child will not enjoy their activities in the daycare if they are going hungry because they do not like the food they are served.
  • Programs and activities

This is the most important factor that you must consider when choosing a daycare for your child. Here are few things you must ask about the activities in the daycare:

  • What is the frequency of field trips and outings if any?
  • Are equipment and amenities for physical activities available in the daycare?
  • Is there any arrangement for occasional treats and celebrations to keep the children more engaged?

Many reputed schools in Markham offer various daycare programs for different age groups. Choose the best daycare program to ensure your child’s complete development through teamwork and fun activities.