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I have a small company making id cards for kids and daycare staff (have not done much with it in the past two years...but that is another story!). Since I was not a parent, I really got to see the centers and staff as they really were. Out of all the centers I visited, I can only name about three that I would actually put my children in. Some tips:
--Make sure the center is licensed, ask to see reports. If they don't provide, the state should be able to provide a rating. Most states require daycares to be inspected and rated just like a restaurant every six months or so. Ask if they provide workshops or training opportunities for the staff.
--Show up unexpectedly periodically just to see what the place looks like at various times of the day. I know some places cleaned up just for parents, especially prospective parents. Is it always cluttered and messy, or does it seem fairly clean and organized? Any place that children play is going to be somewhat messy, but good daycares will keep this in check.
--Eat lunch with your child one day to see how sanitary everything is. (Do they have the children wash their hands before they eat? How do they prepare food/clean up utensils etc.)
--Observe the workers there - do they interact well with the children, or is it just a paycheck? Of course they all won't have college degrees, but what led them to working in a daycare? I've seen daycare workers being really rude, short and mean to children in a few places.
--Does your child dread going, or look forward to it? Some children do have a difficult time going in the morning (separation anxiety) but do they end up having a good time, or still hate it at the end of the day, every day?
--Ask your kids open ended questions...who did you play with today? What did you play with? Did you get to play outside or did you stay inside all day? ETC. With younger children this is harder, but you can still get some pretty good info out of two - three year olds if you ask the right questions.
--Lots of daycares claim daily "activities" such as art, music, etc. Ask for a calendar and make sure to ask your child questions about it. On art day, ask about it...did you paint a picture...On music day...can you sing me the song you learned today? Did you get to play an instrument?
--Do the staff appear to have "favorite" children that they dote on? If so, make sure yours is not getting ignored in the process.
There are some wonderful daycares out there, both big and small. I hope this will help some of you get an idea of the ones that are really great, and the ones with just a pretty face and an empty shell.
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