Your child’s success in academics is largely influenced by their early pre-school, and daycare making it crucial to choose the right one. Since your child will be spending a big portion of the day at the institute, the ambience, amenities and the professionals should be checked thoroughly so that your child can learn a lot at the daycare. Markham is the home to numerous reputed daycares in the GTA and you can easily find the best if you keep the following tips in mind.
Tips to Choosing the Right Daycare:
List the top institute of the region
You can easily look up the top Montessori schools and daycares in Markham on the internet. You can also consult your friends and family for recommendations. Once you have shortlisted the institutes, go through their websites or any type of information you can find thoroughly so that you have a clear idea of what facilities you can expect from them. Check whether they are accredited by any recognized national organization.
Schedule a visit
Once you have shortlisted the top daycares of the region, contact each of them and schedule a visit in person. Exploring the daycare premises will give you a better idea about where you are sending your child and under whose care. Closely observe the staff at work and how they interact with the other children when you are visiting to learn about their attitude and teaching methodology.
Make a questionnaire
Before you visit the daycare, prepare a questionnaire of all the possible questions that you should clarify first before deciding on admitting your child. Some must-ask questions are listed below:
- How qualified and experienced are the caregivers?
- Is the daycare accredited?
- Do they provide personalized care or appoint a specific caregiver to each child?
- What kind of food is served for snacks and breakfast?
- What kind of emergency medical facilities are available at the school?
- How is the security system of the school managed?
- Are school trips and extracurricular programs organized frequently?
Consider the teacher-child ratio
It is obvious that if there are too many children compared to the number of teachers, giving individual attention and personalized care to your child would not be possible. So, enquire about the number of teachers and caregivers and the students to get an idea of the average teacher-student ratio. However, this factor largely depends on the efficiency of the teacher and a daycare.
Keep an eye open for warning signs
When you are visiting the daycare, it is important to be alert and observant so that you can take note of any warning signs. This includes the attitude of the staff and the behaviour of the children. The following are certain things you should watch out for:
- The body language of the children- whether they seem happy and active or listless and morose.
- If the staff easily loses their patience and shout at the children.
- Refusal to let parents visit during the daycare hours is another major warning sign.
Looking for a daycare that will be consistent with their service and has all the facilities and amenities you want is not easy. But keeping these factors in mind, while searching for the right institute for your child, will make it easier to make the right decision.
