(by 6 people)
Everything you need to know about choosing the right school/center for your child and how to make sure it stays that way.
Parents Weigh Day-Care Options Online
from Washingtonpost.com
See here for full text.A new mother, Poli Marinova set out to find the best possible day-care provider for her infant son. She had little trouble finding a list of nearby caregivers, but she discovered there was no easy way to check their track records in Maryland.
Then a friend sent her a link to an online system in Virginia, where she could view inspections and complaints. "You could look back over a number of years and see if there was anything major," said Marinova, 30, who settled on a day-care center near her Alexandria office. "That was very important to me."
At a time when many parents worry about safety in child care, a growing number of states have launched online record systems that bring a new layer of accountability into day-care decision making. Locally, Virginia's online system will be matched soon by similar initiatives in the District and Maryland.
Informational Links
- Selecting and Monitoring Child Care
- Great resource for helping you to decide what kind of care you need. Also includes a very detailed questionnaire to help guide you during your center tour.
- National Child Care Information Center
- The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), a service of the Child Care Bureau, is a national clearinghouse and technical assistance center that links parents, providers, policy-makers, researchers, and the public to early care and education information.
- Daycare.com
- State by state daycare listings and contact information.
- Day Care: Choosing a Good Center -- familydoctor.org
- Information for parents about choosing a day care center from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
- Virginia Licensed Child Day Centers
- Information on licensed child day care centers in Virginia
- Parents Action For Children: Formerly the I Am Your Child Foundation
- Welcome To Parents' ActionParents' Action for Children, a non-partisan organization founded by actor/director Rob Reiner
Letter from the Editor
FAQs about Me
This site has gotten a lot of feedback from parents, but has also gotten a lot of questions. So I'm going to try to answer some of them here:
Q: Who are you and why did you make this site?
A: I'm a parent of a child currently in child care as well as a former teacher in child care centers and I made this site because I have personally experienced that many parents do not have enough information to accurately gauge the quality of child care that their child is receiving.
Q: How do you know what goes on in other centers?
A: The child care industry historically has high turnover rates, so if you work in the industry long enough you will eventually work with people from many different centers. Inevitably child care workers know most of the same people and they stories they can tell about some centers would curl your hair!
Q: How can I be sure my child's center is as good as they say?
A: Protect yourself and your child by regularly checking up on the center. Check up on their licensing visits/violations and health department inspections. Network: talk to other parents and find out what they have seen and heard. Make random visits during the day to see what goes on during classroom hours. Most importantly, talk to your child (provided they are old enough to talk). They are the ones at the center all day and can generally tell you a lot about what's going on. And ALWAYS speak up when you have a question or a concern about your child.
Q: How do I know that my child's teacher is qualified?
A: ASK!! Find out what kind of education and training your child's teacher has. How long have they been at that school? How long have they been teaching? This person spends all day with your child...find out who they are!
Q: Who are you and why did you make this site?
A: I'm a parent of a child currently in child care as well as a former teacher in child care centers and I made this site because I have personally experienced that many parents do not have enough information to accurately gauge the quality of child care that their child is receiving.
Q: How do you know what goes on in other centers?
A: The child care industry historically has high turnover rates, so if you work in the industry long enough you will eventually work with people from many different centers. Inevitably child care workers know most of the same people and they stories they can tell about some centers would curl your hair!
Q: How can I be sure my child's center is as good as they say?
A: Protect yourself and your child by regularly checking up on the center. Check up on their licensing visits/violations and health department inspections. Network: talk to other parents and find out what they have seen and heard. Make random visits during the day to see what goes on during classroom hours. Most importantly, talk to your child (provided they are old enough to talk). They are the ones at the center all day and can generally tell you a lot about what's going on. And ALWAYS speak up when you have a question or a concern about your child.
Q: How do I know that my child's teacher is qualified?
A: ASK!! Find out what kind of education and training your child's teacher has. How long have they been at that school? How long have they been teaching? This person spends all day with your child...find out who they are!
Adventures in Pre-School Shopping!
My search for a new school for my son
In June, my fiance and I moved with my son to Sterling, Virginia. For several months, I kept him in his old school in Herndon because he liked it. But then things started going rapidly downhill. For example...a child scratched Joey's face so badly that 6 months later he still has a scar on his face from it, but when he was picked up that day, there was no incident report and the teachers couldn't tell us what happened. Later that same week he came home with an egg-sized bruise on his forehead, again with no explanation. It was time for a move. So began my search...Sterling didn't seem to have a whole lot of options. There were a few Kindercares (I took a look at their abyssmal licensing records and crossed them off), 3 or 4 Chesterbrooks, Creme de la Creme (great school but far out of my price range), and some random day schools.
The situation got really interesting when I started checking out Chesterbrooks. For schools that are owned by the same group, they were wildly different. School A was okay, a little crowded...I was hesitant. Nothing really struck me as wrong, but it just didn't knock my socks off.
School B was actually pretty nice inside on my first visit and I almost decided to go with it...until I took a second tour and then looked at licensing. On the second tour, the person I spoke with had an attitude that really put me off. And then came the licensing check. Dear Lord. Let me just say that there were some serious injuries and complaints. Giant "NO" there.
By the time I got to the third Chesterbrook, I was leary. I checked it out in advance with licensing and nothing but the usual paperwork violations came up, but still...I couldn't have been more impressed. My tour guide was incredibly nice and knew what he was talking about. The teacher took time off of her break to talk to me about her class. The Pre-K program was split into two groups, so the class he would be in would only have 10 kids. I was sold on that first tour. I had Joey's father tour as well and brought Joey in to look and got thumbs up all around. I signed him up and he's loving it. His teacher, Ms. Zohra, is fantastic and so caring. The director is great, really responsive. Joey has been doing very well there. He's already showing strong improvement in his writing and letter recognition skills. And no bruises!
The moral of the story: Don't be afraid to triple-guess yourself when it comes to your child. Ask the tough questions and do your research.
Great schools I've heard about
Keep in mind that this is just my personal opinion
- Winwood Children's Centers
www.winwood.com - Creme de la Creme
21290 Springlake Court
Sterling, VA 20166
PH: 703-444-4217
FX: 703-444-4218
www.cremedelacreme.com - Little Acorn Patch at Kingstowne
5801 Castlewellan Drive
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22315
(703) 822-0803
www.littleacornpatch.com
This was recommended by a reader who says it has been great for her child and local friends and neighbors. Their licensing record at the Alexandria location is pretty good, but the Springfield location has had a lot of violations. - Chesterbrook Academy
46120 Woodshire Drive
Sterling VA 20166
Phone: 703-444-6161
Woodshire Chesterbrook
This is my son's current school and I couldn't be more pleased with it. The teachers and admin staff are fantastic and he's absolutely thriving.
Schools that I cannot recommend
Keep in mind this is just my personal opinion
- Kinder Care Learning Centers
www.kindercare.com
Although there are some good KinderCares, most of these are babysitting warehouses. - McNair Farms Children's Center
2487 McNair Farms Drive
Herndon, VA 20171
Phone (703) 713-0093
This school went from my great list to my not-recommended list pretty quickly. A change in management and losing the best staff really doomed this school. Teachers that couldn't communicate with parents or had no idea what was going on with the children were a daily occurence, as well as unexplained injuries, ratio problems and lack of actual preschool-appropriate work being done. For their sake, I hope Child's Play Inc (the managing company) can get this school cleaned up.
Some things to Look for During a School Tour
- What is the ratio of teachers to students? Check to make sure what they say follows your state guidelines.
- What hours does the center operate? Does this fit with your needs? What are their policies for late pick ups?
- What is the school's sick child policy? Does it adhere to state standards? Do they enforce the policy?
- Does the center have availabilty at the right age/skill level at the time that you need it?
- What kind of security measures does the school have? How do you know someone else won't walk off with your child?
- What education level and training do the teachers have? How long have they been in your child's classroom?
- Are there mixed age levels in your child's class (this is not a good idea!!!)?
- Is the center clean and well-lit? Does the child's class have a wide variety of age appropriate toys and carpeted floor space?
- Are healthy snacks and meals provided? Ask to see a copy of the menu. Check with your local health department to see if the school has code violations for food preparation.
- Check for safety! Are there sharp corners on tables and cabinets? Are there things stored in way that could fall on children? Are chemicals and cleansers stored out of the reach of children? Are all outlets covered?
- What are the center's policies on biting and aggressive behavior? What are their discipline techniques? Do they do time outs? Make sure the school's discipline techniques mesh with your family's.
- Is staff friendly and do they greet you when you come for a visit...even an unexpected one? Do they seem genuinely happy to see you or view you as another issue to deal with?
- Is there a curriculum for the classroom? How well are the teachers able to implement it? Ask to see a copy. Is there artwork from the plan displayed? Do you see any of the activities being implemented?
- How is the school's performance monitored? Is there a state or local agency that makes sure the center follows procedures?
- If your child's teacher is absent, who steps in to cover? Will your child be familiar with this person?
- Is there always someone present who is certified in First Aid and CPR?
- How are parents kept informed of their child's development? Are there conferences? Report cards? Newsletters?
Child care, day care, preschool...know what you want!
by Megan Shipman
As a former preschool teacher, I can tell you that many parents go into child care without doing a lot of (or any) research. Which to me never made any sense. Would you buy a house just because it looked pretty without knowing anything about it? Of course not! So why put your greatest treasure in the hands of others without doing your homework first?The first thing you need when looking for care for your child is to KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU GO. Are you looking for full time, part time, drop in care? Many centers will only offer full time care, especially for young children. Also, do you simply want babysitting, or a full service center that provides a curriculum for your child? What kind of things do you want your child learning? What kind of hours do you need a center to be open? These are all things you need to ask yourself before you go.
When you start touring schools for your child, keep a close eye on the centers that ask you to set an appointment before you come. Why do you have to have an appointment? What are they doing when you aren't around? The best schools are ones with open door policies that allow parents to visit and observe at any time. Ask lots of questions, THERE ARE NO STUPID QUESTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CHILD. Is the person giving you the tour knowledgeable about the center? Ask about what kind of licensing violations the school has had and ask to see them. Many schools, and all schools in Virginia, must post their violations in plain sight. Ask about turnover rates. How well does the school do at keeping their staff? Child care centers are notorious for higher than normal turnover, but multiple teachers in a classroom in a year can be very hard on the children and signal a management problem.
While in the classroom, look around you. Are the children happy and calm? Children may get rowdy, it's what they do, but they should generally be engaged in what they are doing...if you see hitting or aggressive behavior going unchecked by teachers that is not where you want to be. Teachers are on the ball when parents are visiting, so if aggressive behavior is going on in front of you...imagine what it's like when you aren't there! Being able to communicate with your child's teacher is one of the most important factors in a good classroom, so make sure you are comfortable with the person who is with your child every day.
The most important thing I can say is: Listen to your instincts!! If you sense something is off, it probably is.
Great Stuff on Amazon
Supernanny: How to Get the Best From Your Children
If only we could use Supernanny at child care!!
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 10/11/2008)
Daddy Day Care (Special Edition)
Any former teacher will find this movie hilarious.
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
The Complete Resource Book for Preschoolers: An Early Childhood Curriculum With Over 2000 Activities and Ideas
A great resource for parents and teachers. Lots of great activities.
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 10/11/2008)
Child Care News
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