Things we have discovered, the hard way, are important when looking for a daycare:Air conditioning
Every daycare center we’ve looked at, except one, wasn’t equipped with air conditioning. This boggles my mind, seeing as it’s 2012 and we live in. The. Desert. I would be miserable if my home or office didn’t have air conditioning. Shoot, I would be miserable if my car didn’t have air conditioning. So why would it be acceptable for a place that houses 20-30 children to not have it?
My child should not have her hair insanely curly due to sweat at the end of the day.
Refrigerators
No matter what kind of magic lunch box you can get, even with an ice pack, enough food to feed a child for 11 hours is not going to keep fresh. Especially not milk. Add on the heat going on from the lack of air conditioning then you’ve got HOT yogurt and melted cheese. GROSS.
If I had a keg-erator as an 18 year old that followed me for five years, I would expect someone I’m paying for a service to provide at least this for my child. It’s not too much to ask.
Familiarity with everyone coming in contact with my child
I would like the opportunity to get to know the person caring for my child or at the very least be provided an introduction. If I wanted a complete stranger to care for my child I would go down the street and ask a neighbor to care for her, it’s a hell of a lot easier.
Parents should be provided a directory of all personnel working within their child’s daycare or at the very least, the people who they will be in contact with. This directory should include a photo, a biography highlighting their experience and qualifications as well as something personal.
And please, for the love of God, why are there no standards for dressing in daycare environments? An apron does not make a uniform folks. If I’m taking the time to dress my kid appropriately each day AND pack an extra outfit I expect the same out of the people I’m paying for a service.
Patience
Make sure they will compassionately field phone calls from parents who have called you to check in on their child. Especially if the child has been crying all day because it’s her first time being away from her parents. Clearly both of them are having a tough time and should be able to check in.
Courtesy
Do not call parents in the middle of the work day to not only let them know their child is sick, but to accuse them of knowledgably dropping off a zombie in the body of an infant who is sure to feast on the flesh of the daycare. A telephone call of this nature should never consist of accusations of daycare sabotage.
Make Sure They’re Able & Willing to Give Your Child Medicine
I don’t care what rules the county has. If my child has a fever, has medicine provided by the parents, as well as a note from a doctor with permission, give her what she needs. I’m fairly certain I haven’t heard of anyone going to jail for giving a feverish child medicine.
Feeding
Make sure they know that your child needs to eat more than a graham cracker in 5 hours. We thought this wasn’t something that needed to be discussed, but apparently it does. Seriously.
This is why as we picked up our daughter from the daycare we had chosen so carefully for her, we knew we would had made the wrong decision.
This is why we had to venture out into the daycare marketplace once again.
This is why daycare centers have forever been ruled out of existence.
This is also why I feel the need to go on a crusade against daycare centers and free all the children exposed to the inhumanity. Ok, so that might be a little overdramatic but seriously, don’t be bullied.
Don’t take the decision of choosing a daycare for your children lightly.
Ask questions and then ask some more. Show up unexpectedly, call. Be all up in their business.
It’s your duty as a parent and any daycare professional worth anything should be anything but gracious to comply.
Don’t settle for anything less than the care, attention and atmosphere you yourself would provide for your child, even down to the air conditioning.
For reals.
P.S. my job rocks.
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