Previously, I received a few requests for advice on choosing a child care centre. If you are a parent, parent-to-be or know someone who is a parent, please get him/her to read this post. I hope this letter helps parents/guardians in their decision making process. I will be providing you some tips and very important points to note down when choosing a child care centre for a child.
Before I start on the points for selecting a child care centre, I hope that you have considered whole heartedly on the pros and cons or why and why not on sending your child to child care/pre-school. To aid in your decision making process, a softcopy of a brochure from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports on ‘Guidelines for first-timers’ can be found here. I believe that the brochure will serve you well. Once you have thoroughly thought through the idea on sending your child to child care, continue reading this post. I have stated the important things to note in points for you.
Point 1: Accessibility! Look for child care centres that are near your home or workplace
This helps ensure that the child care centre is located at a convenient place for you and your partner to drop-off and pick-up your child. Accessibility and convenience are very important points as it helps to alleviate the stress of reaching the child care centre on time (MOE, 2011).
Point 2: Select child care centres that are within your budget
Sit down with your partner and plan together how much you are able to pay for child care. Try to strike a balance between being overly ambitious and frugal. Understand that the cost of child care depends on many factors such as curriculum and rental of place. An expensive child care does not determine that it is high in quality and that goes vice versa with a low-priced child care. Once you set your budget, list down between 3 to 5 child care centres that are within your budget and that are also convenient for you (remember point 1). You may visit the Child Care Link website at http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg; or make a call at the Child Care Information Line at 6258 5812 to retrieve this information (MCYS, n.d.).
Point 3: Make an appointment for centre visit
Retrieve the contact information of the child care centre through the Child Care Link or Child Care Information Line. Make an appointment with the centre stating your purpose. Choose a date that is comfortable for you. If time is not on your side, you may choose to visit 2-3 centres in a day, for example one in the morning, early afternoon and mid afternoon.
Point 4: Research!
Before the appointment, source as much information as you can about the centre online, through word-of-mouth and so on. If you know parents whom enrolled their child in the centre, talk to them and receive their feedback on the centre. This will allow you to use your time more productively by getting information on the centre before the actual visit. You will never know what valuable information (good or bad) you may get on the centre. However, be objective with the information that you receive. Do not be overly excited or extremely disappointed with the centre until you have embarked on your centre visit. Additionally, research on the Singapore’s policies for child care in Singapore and the child care act, you can get this information online. Some useful websites are http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ and http://www.moe.gov.sg/
Point 5: Be a spy!
Preferably, go together as a family and ensure that an adult takes the role of care giving (and observing how your child interacts with the environment) while the other adult takes on the role of a spy. Delegate and come to understanding on each other’s duties. You may choose to swap roles half-way through the visit if you wish. Most importantly, discuss and work a plan with each other. When you reach the centre, the person who serves you during the centre visit will most likely be the principal, supervisor, senior teacher or administrative staff of the centre. Take note of their body language towards you and other non-verbal attributes. This will help you perceive on how welcoming they are. To prevent making rash decisions, prepare some question in mind from your research and ask the person serving you at appropriate times during the visit and spend at least 15 minutes in the centre. Do take note of the following:
· Check the license of the centre.
A high quality centre is awarded a 24 months license so request for you to see the license of the centre. Enquire on how the centre has achieved such a license and the frequency of obtaining such licenses. Generally, child care centres in Singapore do not practice receiving accreditation. However, if they are any, take note, ask the person serving you questions about it and check on the accreditation organization online.
· Sit in a classroom for 10 minutes or more
During this time, observe the state of the materials in the classroom. Is the furniture in good shape? Are there enough materials (toys, writing materials) for the children? Are the children using the materials?
Check the curriculum. Are the children involved in the activity that was stated in the class timetable or are they doing something else? If not what are they doing and why? Does the curriculum meet the child’s needs and interest? Are the children engaged in the class activity?
Observe the teacher/s and children (Child care aware, 2011). Is there interaction between teacher/s and children? How does the teacher/s interact with the children? Do the children look happy? Is the class size manageable? Research on MCYS (2010) licensing standards to ensure that the ratio is not higher that the stipulated policy. To note, a high quality child care would have a lower ratio e.g. one teacher to eight four year old children.
Observe the safety and health aspects of the environment. Is the classroom free from safety hazards? Are hazardous materials (e.g. scissors) kept safely? How does the teacher/s respond to a child who got hurt? Is the environment and materials clean? Is the space sufficient for all the people in the classroom?
Do note that you should get a ‘Yes’ for all the questions above or positive observations.
· Talk to the people in the centre and observe if the centre is appreciative of diversity
There are many people in the centre, some of them are the cook and cleaner, teachers, principals, administrative staff, and children. Engage in a short conversation with all these people. Ask simple questions such as “How are you?”, “Do you like this place?”, “What do you do in the centre?” and so on. Talking to all these people will help you determine the culture of the centre and whether the people (especially the children and teachers) enjoy being in the centre whatever their purpose may be. These people also interact with your children regularly too.
During your conversation sessions, you will discover if the centre is diverse. Simple signs to look out for are: a balance of different races, children of different kinds (e.g. children with special needs present), and teachers allowed to dress according to their faith and looks appropriate (e.g. traditional clothing, head covering), the menu has a wide variety of food that represents the diversity of Singapore’s food, and so on.
· Check on the professional background of teachers and principal
What are the teachers’ age groups? Is there a good mix of young and veteran teachers? What are the teachers’ and principal’s qualifications? How long has each teacher/principal been employed in the centre? According to MCYS (2010), majority (75%) of the centres teachers have to acquire a diploma in early childhood education and care - teaching to qualify as teachers. For principals, a diploma in early childhood education and care – leadership is required. This is a very important point for you to note down. Check to know what the centre is doing to ensure they reach this policy, if they have yet to reach this policy.
· Check other facilities and environment
As you walk around the centre and talking to people, observe the facilities and environment. Apply the same pointers on observing the classroom. Some of the facilities to check out are the kitchen, dining area, music room and other rooms/areas if available (e.g. arts and crafts room), outdoor area, staff office, sick bay (ensure that this is present), and other facilities that may be available.
· Check out the parent/family corner or board
As part of adopting best practices in parent-teacher communication and home-school partnership (MCYS, n.d.), child care centres have a parents corner or board present in their centre. Check to see the condition of it: Is it well maintained? Are the materials regularly updated? Is there relevant information for parents? Are there activities for parents? The state of the parents’ corner or board helps determine the welcoming degree the centre has towards parents. It is best to choose one that has a high welcoming degree as this relates to high quality child care. Lastly, check the orientation plan for new children to the centre. Ensure that they have a good plan that will provide a smooth transition for your child and family.
Point 6: Be reflective and objective
Upon reaching home, reflect on the experiences of the centre visit. Remember, the priority is whether the centre meets your family and your child’s needs. Inform the centre that you will take a week to confirm with them on your enrollment. Take this time to discuss with your partner. Do more research and finally, get your child’s opinions on the centre. Their say is very important to note, if your child does not like the centre, get him/her to further elaborate on that through simple questions and conversation.
Point 7: Make your decision and hope for the best
After a few days of discussion and reflection, choose the best choice that meets all the above points. Hope for the best and start preparing your child for child care.
These are all the points that I have for you to take note. In total, there are actually more than 7 points. I hope they are comprehensive enough to help you with the decision making process. I have also prepared other brochures that you will find useful. They are, ‘Choosing a child care centre for your child’ and 'Guide for Parents with Children in Child Care' by Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. A high quality child care has a positive effect on the child’s development (Early childhood learning knowledge centre, 2006) and I understand that that is your main concern. Do have a look at them before the centre visit.
Enjoy this journey, good luck and all the best :)
References and other Websites to check
Child Care Aware. (2011). Five steps to choosing quality child care. Retrieved July 13, 2011
Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Centre. (2006). Why is high-quality child care
essential? The link between quality child care and early learning. Retrieved July 13, 2011 from http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/20060530LinL.html
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. (2010). Assessments of licensing
standards in child care centres. Singapore.
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. (n.d.). Choosing a child care centre for
your child. Retrieved July 13, 2011 from http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/uploads/MCYS-Choosing_110310_FA.pdf
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. (2010). Child care link: why become
an early childhood professional. Retrieved July 13, 2011 from http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/home/CCLS_HomeEarlyGettingStarted.jsp#RequiredQualification
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. (n.d.). Guidelines for first timers.
Retrieved July 13, 2011 from http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/uploads/MCYS-Guidelines_100310_FA.pdf
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. (2006). Guide for parents with
children in child care. Retrieved July 18, 2011 from http://app1.mcys.gov.sg/Portals/0/Files/ParentGuide_english1.pdf
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. (n.d.).Towards best practices: good
practices handbook for child care centres. Child Care Link: Singapore.
Ministry of Education. (2011). Selecting a kindergarten. Retrieved July 13, 2011 from
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