Questions You Should Ask A New Daycare Facility
Getting ready to visit daycares to find one that is the right fit for your child? If so, you'll want to ask the right questions to find out more about the facility. These questions can help you find out about ways that a daycare can be radically different from the rest of the competition:
What Kind of Extra Activities are Offered?
Every daycare will offer different types of activities for the kids that attend. Try to find out what activities are offered that go beyond the typical offering of a daycare. For example, some daycares provide art classes taught by an actual art teacher, dance or creative movement classes, bring in special musical guests to perform for the students, or even gymnastics.
These are ways to give the kids unique experience without ever leaving the facility.
Are Field Trips Ever Taken?
Some daycare facilities like Mountainside School will take children out of the classroom and on a field trip. Ask about if field trips are ever taken, and if so, where they go. You may discover that there are regular field trips that are taken during the year, or that they switch things up by going to new places. Getting out of the classroom and into a new environment can make daycare feel like an exciting experience from time to time.
How Much Can Parents Be Involved?
There will be times that you wish to participate in activities at the daycare with your child. That's why you should find out what the daycare's policies with parent involvement are.
The facility may encourage parents to drop in and see what their children are doing, or have certain events where they need parent volunteers for help. Another example of parent involvement would be having guest readers that come in to read the children a story. It can be refreshing to visit a daycare in the middle of a day to personally see what it is like at the facility.
How Often Do the Children Play Outside?
It's important for kids to get outside and in the sun, which is why state regulations require that there is outdoor time. Find out if the facility goes above and beyond what is required of them to get the kids outdoors. They should also have a great indoor play space as well for the days where the weather outside is not great.
With these questions in mind, you'll be able to find a great daycare for your child.