As a working parent, one of the hardest decisions to make is choosing a daycare or school. Many first time parents (like myself) don't even know where to begin when deciding on choosing a daycare or school. Every child is a unique individual and the number one focus of parents is their child's safety. When choosing a place for your child things we all look for are: safety features, education (curriculum), who is watching/caring for the child?, how many children are in a classroom?, sanitation, emergency procedures, and the list can honestly go on forever. But the above listed questions focuses are parents number one priority. Aside from typical questions of: Is food provided or do I (the parent) need to provide that? What time is drop off and pick up? Do I need to provide anything special for my child? How much does it cost? Can I visit when I want? and Is there a sign in and sign out sheet?. There are many questions we need to look at when choosing a Daycare or School. Before we go any further, please note, you (a parent/guardian) should never feel that asking a care facility or school questions, sitting in on occasion, or asking to see credentials and so forth is rude or not allowed. You can ask anything and everything, which I highly recommend!

First lets talk about safety and how to see and test features that facilities offer. Many places now offer a door access code that is unique to only the families who attend the school. For instance, my son was recently in a facility that had a door access code and if you wanted to get into the building you must first punch in the code. If you did not have a code you were required to ring the door bell, at which time a worker would come to the door and ask you questions before allowing access. This was a major plus for me as a first time parent, knowing that not just anyone could walk into the facility. So parents and guardians ask about the safety the facility provides if it is not visible. When I asked about other safety features the facility provided they informed that anyone who I have not designated as allowed to pick up my son would not be allowed to do so. IF in the situation someone tried to take a child that wasn't approved the director had an emergency button under her desk that allowed direct police dispatch. Safety is our number one priority as parents, but next is the education our children receive. What are your safety concerns when it comes to your child? What do you want to know the facility does or provides when it comes to safety? Write down any questions before previewing any schools so you're prepared, and remember don't be afraid to ask questions; you are entitled to that!

When our children are small (like my son "C", who is only 10 months) it is hard to even think about them learning special things like ABC's or 123's. To many first time parents we may not even think about it, however, many do think about what is their child going to be doing all day at the facility. My son's first week at his facility (he was only 6 months) he started learning about the weather and he even had sensory play with finger paint making clouds and rain! With that being said as a parent your priority of education is important and should begin right away. The majority of public school systems now require that children entering Kindergarten know all of the ABC's and can recognize them in both upper and lower case. So when looking into Daycares and Preschools this is something that is extremely important. You want to set your child up for success rather than setting them up to be behind when they haven't had a chance to start. So what should you ask when looking at the education or curriculum provided?

1. Do the educators focus on a topic a week?
2. Do they have set lesson plans?
3. How do you track progress?
4. Do the lesson plans revolve around where my child is developmentally or as a general class?
5. Is my child constantly being engaged with education? (especially for younger children)
6. If your child is older, is the facility accredited?

Who is watching or caring for my child? This is important to all parents. We as parents want to make sure that whomever is watching our children during the day is qualified, or that we feel safe with. When I was looking at daycares for "C" I was very adamant to meet each person who would interact with my child, even if it was for a teacher to take a bathroom break. As many parent's know when it comes to a public school that your child is assigned to you don't have much say in who your child has as a teacher. But with Daycare and Preschool it's an entirely different case since those are not assigned to your child by the school systems. So questions to ask when choosing a Daycare or Preschool regarding their caregivers are in the list below:

1. Who is the primary teacher?
2. How do you track my child's development and care throughout the day?
3. What is the ratio of children to a teacher?
4. What are the required qualifications?
5. What procedures are followed regarding sanitation and safety?

Sanitation is such an important thing when it comes specifically to Daycares and Preschools and as parents we worry about our children getting sick. Ask, ask, ask! When looking at the sanitation simply ask the following questions...

1. How do you sanitize items?
2. What is your procedure when a child is sick?
3. If a child in the classroom does become sick with something contagious are all parents notified? (If you wont be notified of some illness going around even if it's one case, move on to a different school.)
4. How do you limit contact of mouth toys? (Yes, parents these are a thing! It's a toy that has been in a child's mouth and therefore should be scooped up before another child does it. This limits the spread of germs.)
5. Hand washing and sanitizing... how often is this done?

The final topic to be discussed is emergency procedures. In the case of any emergency as parents we need to know what is being done to protect our children. This topic is very closely related to safety, but in this situation it's going to be its own subject. In regards to natural disasters, building comprising, area endangerment, and so forth we as parents should ask these questions when looking at facilities:

1. In the case of natural disaster (earthquake, severe weather, tornados, and so forth) what do you do for the children? Particularly young children, how do you protect them?
2. If the building were to be compromised, such as fire, gunman, hostage, and whatever else, what is done to ensure the safety of the children?
3. If there is a gunman, robber, or pedophile near the facility what are the protocols and procedures to effectively protect the children?

As a parent or guardian all we want is what is best for our children. We want to know they are safe and well provided for. When choosing a daycare or school decisions can be tough, especially for first time parents. If you wish to look into an at home care facility, the questions may differ slightly, but overall should remain the same. Some other questions you can ask the directors of facilities are: Do the employees go through background checks? If so, what previous histories do you allow or not allow?, Are the teachers licensed or certified?, and anything else you see fit. Remember you are the parent/guardian and you have a say in your child's care. Don't let anyone make you feel that you are being overbearing for watching out for the safety and education of your children.