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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
The
National Statement On Quality Child Care
outlines the seven most important areas parents should
be concerned about:
- Caregivers
qualifications
- Child
development
- Group
size and ratios
- Health
and nutrition
- Safety
- Parent,caregiver
relations, and
- Partnership.
(1)
Caregiver Qualifications
Caregivers
qualifications play an important role in the quality
of care a child receives. Many provincial and state
licensing boarders are mandating that all caregivers
in center-based care have some formal early childhood
education. Directors must be certified.
Parents,
when checking out the various centers should always
ask about the qualifications of the staff, the center's
commitment to continued education through a combination
of training courses and seminars and, if not clearly
posted, ask to see a director's diploma or education
certificate.
While
a family daycare provider is not required to posses
any formal child care training, they, like other providers
should demonstrate a genuine interest in both the
children and their family, and show a desire to learn
more about their profession through books, videos,
and training courses.
Beside
the formal training, a provider should be capable
of outwardly expressing affection to the children
in her care, and should be happy in her work.
(2)
Child Development
Child development involves physical, social, intellectual
and emotional learning. A quality program offers children
a variety of activities and play materials that foster
all these skills. It provides ample space for activity
play, has an abundance of age appropriate toys and
child size equipment, and has a quiet area of individual
play.
In
a quality program children are given a daily balance
between indoor and outdoor play, active and quiet
times, group and individual activities, an opportunity
to initiate activities, and a daily routine they can
become familiar with and anticipate. Parents are encouraged
to review the daily and weekly schedules of the centers
they are contemplating to see if their child will
fit in comfortably with routines and the activities.
A
child who is receiving quality care will demonstrate
this by the amount of artwork he or she brings home.
As well, they will show an enthusiasm for going to
the place of care and be happy and playing contentedly
when the parent arrives to pick them up. As well cared
for a child will thrive within unyielding zest for
life.
(3)
Group Size and Child/Staff Ratios
Group size and staff / child ratios play a very big
role in the provision of quality care, and yet very
few parents understand or are even aware of this.
While most states and provinces place restrictions
on the number of children one provider can care for,
for instance there must be two caregivers for a group
of six infants, a ratio of 1 caregiver to three infants,
(1:3), or one caregiver to a room of 12, two year
olds, (1:12), still many give no quotas on the size
of a class occupying any one room.
Studies
prove that children learn more and socialize better
in small group settings where the caregiver can provide
them with more personal attention and caring. A room
of 12, two year olds do much better in their overall
development with only one caregiver, than a room of
24, two year olds and two caregivers. The reason smaller
groups offer individualized attention, a closer relationship
among peers, and a better co-operation level within
the group.
Parents,
when interviewing a center or day home for care, should
inquire about the ratio levels and should check these
levels against those required by the licensing board.
A care facility that provides a combination of higher
staff/ child ratios and smaller group settings (that
also allow for occasional large group activities)
are likely to provide a better quality of child care.
(4)
Health & Nutrition
Health And Nutrition are the backbone to wellness.
Parents would be well advised to pay close attention
to the health practices of any center or day home
they are considering. Handwashing, separate diaper
changing areas, sick room, the overall cleanliness
of the staff and the facility are the most important
factors in minimizing the risk of infectious diseases
spreading among the other children and adults in the
facility. And as hard as it is on the parent, isolating
a child with a communicable disease such as the measles
or chicken-pox (sending the child home until the contamination
period is over) helps to reduce the spread of the
disease. Parents should inquire about a caregiver's
policy about such matters.
A
quality child care program will involve community
health practitioners such as periodic visits from
a public health nurse or dental hygienist. These facilities
keep up to date health records and require written
permission before any medication is administered.
They also pay close attention to the federal food
guides and prepare nutritious meals, menus of which
are posted weekly for parents to review. Parents may
want to visit the home or center at meal time to see
if the children are eating nutritiously prepared foods,
and that meals are in small group settings where they
can be properly supervised.
(5)
Safety
The safety of each child should be priority of any
child care provider. Caregivers should have written
plans for emergencies and these should be clearly
posted. The fire equipment should be functioning properly
and they should know how to use such things as the
fire extinguishers. As well stocked first aid kits
should be easily accessible, and important telephone
numbers posted by the telephone.
As
well, parents should receive written notification
of any injuries their child suffers from during any
day of care.
(6)
Parent / Caregiver Relationship
The parent and caregiver relationship must be one
of mutual respect. Partners in the well being of the
child they should discuss daily not only how the child
is progressing, but how he or she is feeling, eating,
and sleeping. Frequent parent, caregiver consultations
will help to foster an understanding of each other
views on such areas as discipline, religion personal
philosophies and cultural background.
Parents
must have the right to visit the center or day home
at any time. A facility that does not allow parents
to participate in their program, or for that matter
does not encourage them to do so, is no place for
any child. A provider of quality child care will not
only allow parents to drop by at an time , but welcome
their interest in and suggestions about ways to improve
their program.
(7)
Partnerships
Caregivers who are committed to providing the best
possible child care realize they cannot do so alone
and are involved with a number of provincial and or
state offices, organizations and training institutions
that compliment, through various resources, a caregiver's
qualifications and abilities.
Providers
of quality care work hand in hand with the licensing
board to maintain the minimum standard care. They
are members of various child care organizations and
exercise their membership. They conduct parent meetings
to ensure their program is meeting the needs of the
families in their care. They work with various community
resources like libraries, schools, aboriginal peoples,
and so on to help the children in their care lean
more about the world around them and their role in
that world.
Above
all, quality child care provides a combination of
all these things, and does so in an accessible and
affordable way, involving children of any race and
income level.
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