Choosing the Right Daycare

Bringing your child to a daycare center for the first time can be difficult. Many parents feel sad that they will be spending less time with their child and are oftentimes worried about whether or not they chose the right facility. If you will be facing this decision soon, you’re not alone. More families are placing children in daycare than ever before as more and more moms enter the workforce. Nearly 25% of children under the age of five are in a formal childcare arrangement like daycare. While the thought of dropping your child off in an unfamiliar place can be intimidating, the good news is that more children in daycare means more excellent options for you to consider.

Since children spend so much of the day at daycare, the environment will have a big impact on them. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to tell beforehand how the facility operates behind closed doors. If you’re approaching this big decision, here are some tips to help you make the best decision for your family:

1.Get Trusted Recommendations on Go2s.

One of the most terrifying possibilities with daycare is that you are passing your child off to an unknown entity. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Reach out to your trusted connections on Go2s and ask for child care recommendations. There’s no better way to find a child care provider than through someone you know and trust, and Go2s makes it easy to reach out and ask. You can breathe a sigh of relief and bring your child to daycare for the first time with confidence knowing that the facility came to you through someone you trust.

2.Do Your Research.

Once you have a list of recommendations from your helpful Go2s connections, it’s time to do your own research. Is the daycare run in a designated facility or in someone’s home? What is the provider-child ratio? Is it affordable for your budget? What hours do they offer? Is there a structured curriculum? Look closely at websites and social media pages to narrow your list of daycares down to just the ones that could work for your family.

3.Carefully Inspect.

Recommendations and research aside, there’s nothing like an in-person visit to give you a sense of what a provider is like. Visit providers and conduct interviews with your expectations in mind. While you are there, look around and observe how the adults interact with the children. Examine the environment and ask yourself if you would feel happy to spend time here. If the answer is yes, there’s a good chance your child would be happy, too.

Ultimately, you know your child better than anyone. If you find yourself torn between two or more daycares that seem like a good fit, trust your gut and choose the one that feels right.