What constitutes high quality child care? If you have preschool children who need child care and you live in the Perth area, this is an important question for you. If you are a first time parent, you don’t have any experience in looking for child care and may not know what to look for.
So, what constitutes high quality child care? Is it the child care centre that has all of the best and newest equipment? Is it the child care centre that has the best programs for learning through play? Is it the small neighbourhood child care centre down the street whose staff has seemingly been there forever?
There really isn’t a “one size fits all” solution. It is going to be up to you to decide what your priorities are and what fits the best for your family. Your ideal solution may contain elements from all of the above scenarios or it may contain none of them.
Measuring Child Care Centre Performance
To help ensure that everyone gets the best possible child care, the Australian Government has instituted the National Quality Framework and the National Quality Standards. However, these are minimal standards. While we agree with them, we think a great child care centre should do more than just adhere to minimal standards.
Ultimately, parents are the best judge of what constitutes a high quality child care experience. We fully believe that the best way to measure performance is for the parent to spend some time at one or more child care centres until they find one they think is right for their child.
There are some standards that should always be met. A child care centre should be clean and the equipment should be in good repair. There should be plenty of space for children to run around and plenty of toys and other equipment to help keep them entertained. While this doesn’t guarantee that any facility is providing high quality child care, it certainly makes it a lot easier to deliver.
So What Constitutes High Quality Child Care?
Many people, including parents, child care providers and researchers, have tried to define high quality child care. We think they all have something valid to contribute. So do common sense and experience in the field.
Ultimately, there are three categories we believe contribute the most to high quality child care. Here they are.
Caring and Tuned In
These qualities are like two sides of the same coin. You can’t truly have one without the other. A caring, tuned in child care provider will always be aware of, watch and listen to your child’s communication. This includes verbal and non-verbal communication.
A caring, tuned in provider will also observe your child to see how he or she feels because this is important when interacting with any child. Most of all, they will spend their time attending to the children instead of chatting with other adults.
There are a lot of traits that a caring, tuned in provider will show. They are free with verbal and physical affection but only within acceptable parameters. They can multi-task with more than one child at once. Caring, tuned in providers like children and it shows. They spend most of their time interacting directly with the children.
Respectful
Many adults don’t have any respect for children. This can manifest in arrogance and a condescending personality when caring for children. Sadly, some of these people are able to find jobs in child care.
It is crucial that carers are able to truly listen to children, understand their ideas and respect them as human beings. They must listen and respond to the children with dignity and respect. This shows that they truly care about your child’s needs and feelings.
Safe and Secure
Child safety and security are paramount in any child care centre. That means any room where the children are going to be must be clean and clear of all hazards, including poisonous chemicals and uncovered electrical outlets. All materials, furniture and toys must be appropriate for the age of those who will be exposed to them.
Call Your Nearest Cuddles Childcare Centre Today
If you are looking for high quality child care in the Perth area, look no further than your nearest Cuddles Childcare Centre. We provide the highest quality child care in the Perth area. To find out for yourself, call your nearest Cuddles Childcare Centre today.
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