What You Need to Know About Daycare Centres

Posted on: 11 November 2020

As much as you would love to spend plenty of time with your child, you still need to work to earn a living and be able to support your family. Additionally, an emergency may arise requiring you to go to a situation where you can't bring your kid; you need to find a safe to take your child so that you can take care of other important things. A good example of such a place is a daycare centre. Here's what you need to know about daycare centres:

Different Types of Daycare Centres

Due to different needs that may arise, you might come across four common types of daycare centres:

  • A long daycare centre: This is child daycare offered by a professional daycare centre that has invested in more than just looking after your child. The centre also educates your child following the National Quality Framework.
  • An occasional daycare centre: This is suitable for those times an emergency arises, and you need to dash somewhere for a few hours. 
  • A family daycare: This is a daycare located in a carer's home. The carer handles a few children at a time within a given time frame. 
  • In-home daycare: This is when you hire a nanny to take care of your child in your home.

What Should You Consider When Choosing a Daycare Centre?

The first thing you need to do is understand the types of daycares mentioned above so that you know which one to choose based on your needs. Ensure you also pick a daycare near your home or office; you want to be able to reach it easily and quickly in case of an emergency.

The second thing is to understand the kind of services each daycare centre offers. When comparing your options, you can ask the following questions:

  • Is food offered at the daycare or do you need to pack your child lunch and snacks? 
  • What activities do the children engage in? Are they safe and educational?
  • How are health and hygiene concerns treated?
  • What are the protocols put in place in case of an emergency?

Third, as a parent, some things are unique to you, especially how you would want your child to be treated. Talk to the daycare centre to find out whether your unique needs can be met. By doing this, you also get to assess the caregivers, which assures you that your child is in good hands.

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Child care after school

In some ways, it gets even harder to find child care for your kids when they start school. Not many jobs allow you to do school pick-ups and drop-offs each day and my job definitely requires more time in the office than that. Many parents find innovative solutions to make it all work, but other parents seem to really struggle with finding a great solution that works for them and the kids. That's why I thought I'd start a blog where parents and child care gurus could swap tips on the best ways to organise child care for school aged children.

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