The nerve-wracking moments have arrived. It is now time to get back to work as you cross out the last of your maternal leave off the calendar. You need to now face what you have been putting off facing all these months – getting childcare assistance or a preschool for your precious little one while you get back out there to hustle.
Choosing an infant childcare can really be a daunting task, you can say that again! After all, who enjoys being parted from their babies, right? But sometimes, a mom needs to do what a mom needs to do! If it’s any help, let us assure you that all will be well, mamas! Here, we’d like to help by pointing out some key factors you should consider when choosing an infant care giving provider and also, *bonus* we are sharing with you an established service provider whom you can consider at the end of the article. Let’s roll!
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Are You Licensed?
This is a no brainer but we think it is also super important to highlight as it is easy to overlook. Always look for a childcare that meets all the licensing requirements by the government, is reputable, and has a clean history. While we agree that having a legit license doesn’t guarantee a perfect service provider, but it does safeguard, to a reasonable extend, that the facility complies to the proper safety, health, hygiene, and care regulations. Being licensed also means the childcare centre is willing to be held responsible for their conducts and standards set out.
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What’s Up?
When you are visiting a daycare, do pay attention to the interaction level between the staff and the children/infants. Are the staffs warm and interactive? Do babies tend to be left in the cot, unattended? How do the staffs talk to the children? Do the babies look happy? Babies and toddlers thrive on close, loving, and interactive relationships. Thus, it is crucial that their first caregivers are warm, responsive, and lively, and that even in a group, every child is getting a healthy amount of one-on-one time with their caregivers.
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Are You Committed?
If there is one thing parents can give their babies, is a predictable and consistent routine. It helps them to cope and form a secure bond with their caregivers. You may ask questions like, what is the turnover rate of staff in the centre and the possible reasons, how long the current caregivers have been working in the centre, and the answers will give you an idea of what to expect from the childcare centre.
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Can I Talk To You?
Different from sending older children to a preschool, where normally you can trust that they’d come home telling you everything that happened in the day, and more, babies cannot speak to fend for themselves. Parents will rely on their child’s caregivers for information. So it is important that you find it comfortable to talk to them and vice versa. Also check if the caregiver or the centre is contactable via messaging apps, video or phone calls so that you can have a peace of mind while at work knowing you can check in on your child any time.
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Where’s My Magnifying Glass?
Cleanliness in a childcare centre is off-the-chart important! But of course! Young children are most susceptible to infections and diseases, therefore a clean environment is one of the first things parents should look at and make a decision based on that. How clean are the toilets/bathrooms? Are the floors dusty? Are the bedsheets and pillowcases change out regularly? Is the kitchen well maintained? What about the drinks/milk station? Does it look disorganized and need a good wipe down? Are the milk bottles sterilizers covered in limescale? What is the centre’s SOP in handling breastmilk or formula milk? Is the centre spacious enough to accommodate all children and for them to move about freely? These are but a few main areas to look into.
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Do We Separate By Age?
Children of different age groups naturally have different needs and demands, which require varying levels of attention from the caregivers. A 3 year old toddler may not sit well with a 9 month old baby. Therefore, it is best to find out how does the childcare centre manage children of different age groups – do they separate them with different sets of caregivers or do they keep every child that comes into the centre together? And what is the caregiver/children ratio? Does the centre look a tad bit over-crowded? This information will help you gauge if your child will be kept in the playpen half the time, or not.
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What Are Your Safety Measures?
No one would go about their day expecting mishaps to happen, but it is only wise to have precautionary steps in case of an emergency, especially when there are children’s lives at stake. Where are the emergency exits? Are teachers/caregivers/helpers/adults in the centre regularly updated about the exit plans? Are drills routinely carried out? Any fire extinguisher prominently placed? Are CCTVs installed? Where is the daycare’s go-to hospital or clinic located at?
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Let’s Talk Policy
One of the ways to see if you are comfortable with a particular childcare provider is to take a hard look at their centre policies, values, care-giving and teaching methodologies. It is important that both the centre and parents share the same parenting philosophy – things like being pro-breastmilk or not, disciplining methods, diet choice, and the childcare’s stand on snacks/junk food, and sometimes trivial matters are the ones that make or break the deal. So don’t be shy to ask till you are satisfied!
Along Came The children’s house
And the list goes on. Now before you get yourselves overwhelmed, we are happy to share with you a leading pioneer who’s been in the education field for 33 years – The children’s house.
The children’s house has always been a popular choice among parents, and it is not difficult to see why. The children’s house philosophy is “giving the best possible start in life”, and that is why, its Infant Programme caters to babies as young as 2 months old.
The programme’s 3-fold core features are:
Caregiving – emphasizes on the 3Rs – respectful, responsive, and reciprocal interactions between the caregivers and the babies. The well being and comfort of an infant is given careful attention to so that they feel safe and loved.
Attachment – nurtures infants’ sense of trust, security, and attachment, and encourages exploration and the development of self-identity and self-esteem in infants.
Play – creates an opportunity for infants to observe and learn about the world; through play, cognitive abilities, language skills, and physical abilities are enhanced and improved, and infants also learn about themselves, how to manage their emotions, and what they are capable of.
Leveraging on the optimum period of learning in infant development during the first three years of life, the holistic Infant Programme includes Baby Art, Baby Gym, Baby Read, Baby Touch, Baby Chef, Baby Music, Baby Sensory Play and Sunshine Baby; it is run through the school’s dedicated infant centres at Aman Walk, KL, Ara Damansara, Selangor, and Bruas, KL.
Thriving In The Right Environment
When placed in a safe and encouraging environment, parents will see that their babies become responsive when stimulated through their 5 senses. The children’s house is determined to provide that learning space to aid in the healthy growth of a child.
Designed with babies in mind, The children’s house is colourful and welcoming with tall windows and lots of natural light. The furniture and facilities are also scaled down to child-size with ample cushioned space for crawling and exploring. The caregivers, too, are carefully screened and recruited, and they come with years of experience with qualified trainings.
Parents are welcomed to visit the childcare centres and see for yourselves the reasons why The children’s house has been a trusted choice among fellow parents; or better yet, bring your child along for a free trial to get a feel of the programme to figure out if it’s suitable for you and your baby!
Good news – enjoy discounts and complimentary trial at the The children’s house’s Bruas centre! Come experience first-hand the fun and warmth on-site before making a decision! Hurry, the promotion ends at the end of the year!
Bringing up a generation of resilient, responsible and all-around well-balanced children is not a far-fetched ambition. The children’s house is motivated to provide that much-needed foundation for children through the integrated Montessori curriculum by partnering with parents in order to provide a positive learning experience for your precious little ones.
Looking to “give the best possible start in life” for our future leaders? We believe your stepping stone starts here.