The pressure to choose the right daycare centre for our children is real. When you’re feeling snowed under, it's easy to miss the important details.
As parents, we must select a place where our children feel safe and nurtured. Looking up a long daycare centre on StartingBlocks.gov.au is the first step in assessing childcare quality ratings.
This guide highlights some of the biggest childcare problems. It encourages parents to make an informed decision in their childcare centre search by questioning, observing and gathering more information on childcare challenges. These include:
- Looking beyond the first impression
- Asking how educators support children's routines
- Noticing how educators interact with children
- Understanding the role of curriculum
- Educator turnover and child-to-educator ratios
- Noticing safety signs in childcare centres
- Communication with families
- Trusting your instincts
Looking beyond the first impression to choose the right daycare
While first impressions count, it is important to dig beneath the surface to understand what lies below. A childcare centre tour may give you a brief overview of the facilities when it is at its best.
Bright colours, state-of-the-art facilities and tidy spaces with sleeping children are all nice, but may not reflect the quality of care. Whereas muddy footprints, scattered resources and children's laughter indicate a place well-loved.
It's worth taking the time to explore each centre, from their written policies to the way they consistently follow them. Ask about their approach to discipline, handling conflict and what happens when a child is sick.
Asking how educators support children's routines
Children thrive on consistency and routines. Consistent routines help children feel safe and confident, inspiring them to learn and explore.
Ask the centres you visit about:
- Their daily schedules
- How they ensure consistency with routines
- How they handle transitions between activities
- Indoor and outdoor flow
- Assisting children who need extra support
- How they would help your child's needs, such as any special dietary requirements or a unique nap schedule
Noticing how educators interact with children
By visiting multiple childcare services, you can compare the quality and opportunities each might bring. Aside from reading their policies and touring the facilities, observe the educators and how they interact with children.
Positive interactions between educators and children are necessary for emotional and social development. When visiting, take the time to observe whether educators:
- Use warm, encouraging tones
- Get down to a child's level and make eye contact
- Actively listen and respond to children
- Encourage children to explore their interests
- Manage challenging behaviour and resolve conflicts
- Use positive reinforcement and redirection
- Support children who find it hard to say goodbye
- Are calm and consistent
Ask about the child-to-educator ratios and how the centre ensures each child receives the attention they need.
Understanding the role of curriculum
A curriculum is a plan that early childhood services create and implement for children's learning. It includes all children's experiences between drop-offs and pick-ups, both inside and outside the centre.
Rather than leaving learning to chance, a quality, long daycare sets learning goals and provides teachers and educators with guidance and strategies on what to teach.
A well-rounded curriculum contains:
- Learning goals and objectives that support developmental outcomes, while keeping in mind that each child develops differently
- Content areas including language and literacy, physical literacy, the arts, sciences and discovery
- Teaching approaches, such as play-based learning, a key aspect of the EYLF
- Involvement of families as partners in a child's learning journey and recognition of their role as the first teacher
- The physical environment, as the third teacher, with well-designed indoor and outdoor spaces
- Assessment in the form of observation and documentation to celebrate growth, adapt learning and support a child's needs
When touring a childcare centre, ask how educators provide opportunities for children to explore their interests and adapt experiences to a child's needs.
Learning about a service's educational philosophy and approach to curriculum will help you work out if it aligns with your values and expectations.
Educator turnover and child-to-educator ratios
Consistent, long-term relationships build trust and emotional security for young children. High educator turnover, a recognised childcare sector problem, can disrupt the continuity of care by affecting the quality of relationships between children and educators.
Child-to-educator ratios are important keep in mind when visiting a daycare. Lower ratios allow educators to provide children with individual attention and support.
Ask the centre how long educators have been in their roles and what training, professional development and incentives the service provides to attract and keep quality educators and teachers.
Noticing safety signs in childcare centres
Visiting a daycare gives you a chance to assess the centre's safety protocols. To start, observe how clean and well-maintained the facilities are, and whether there are safety gates, secure entrances and childproofed areas.
Safety also covers the health and hygiene of children. As you look around the daycare, take note of any signs reminding people to wash their hands and put on sunscreen and a hat when going outside.
Supervision and monitoring are essential in long daycare centres. Ask about sign-in and sign-out procedures. How does the service ensure only authorised individuals pick-up children?
Other aspects and questions to consider include:
- How often do they practise fire drills?
- Were you asked to sign in as a guest on arrival?
- How do they keep children in sight of an educator?
Childcare challenges: Communicating with families
When choosing the right daycare, ask the places you visit how they keep in touch with families. Some services use dedicated, secure childcare apps that keep parents informed about their child's learning and care.
They may also prioritise open and transparent communication through casual chats during drop-offs and -pick-ups, meetings with educators and teachers, newsletters, centre noticeboards and daily reports.
Look for a daycare centre that values family input by developing partnerships, acts on feedback and responds to concerns. Additionally, consider how the centre involves families in the day-to-day curriculum.
Trusting your instincts in your childcare centre search
When visiting a daycare centre, trust your instincts, take a checklist, ask questions and take note of anything that stands out. Ignoring important details could lead to choosing a service that's not the best fit for your family.
Choosing the right daycare requires careful reflection. Consider your child's unique needs and personality. While location and cost are important, alignment with your values and expectations may matter more.
Ask yourself which daycare will provide the best environment for your child to thrive and grow? Choose the right daycare to fit your family's needs and support your child's development for years to come.
Where little feet meet big adventure
Every child deserves to have their hands in the dirt and their heads in the clouds. Apollo Villages centres prioritise safeguarding children, fresh air and personalised care. Check our map to discover your nearest patch of green where your child can flourish.