If you’re in the market for a new daycare but feel overwhelmed on where to start, here’s a quick guide for researching new daycare options.
Know the Types of Childcare
First things first, educate yourself on the types of childcare. These include:
- Daycare or child care center
- In-home childcare
- Head Start and Early Head Start
- Prekindergarten programs
- School-age programs, such as the YMCA
- Military families child care options
- Informal home childcare, such as from a family or friend
While daycare is the most accessible and affordable childcare option, it may be worth looking into other choices to best fit the needs of your family.
For instance, some children may do better in a smaller class size such as in-home childcare while others may enjoy larger groups at a daycare. At the same time, children who desire fewer playmates may benefit from exposure to larger groups so the transition to kindergarten isn’t overwhelming.
Know Ohio’s Childcare Resources
Each state has different requirements for childcare. These differences may be things like teacher-to-child ratios or sanitation standards.
Knowing Ohio’s standards will help you evaluate whether the daycare you’re considering is quality. For instance, a daycare may have passed the state’s standards to be licensed but has relaxed its everyday standards after licensure. These daycares should be avoided as it puts your child in a potentially harmful or dangerous environment.
To find out Ohio’s resources and licensure standards, click here.
Find Daycares in Your Area
One of the hardest parts of researching daycares is finding all the childcare options available in your area. Sometimes the search bar or map app isn’t sufficient in finding the childcare gems.
Ohio.gov makes it easy to find local daycares with their search bar. You can search by city, zip code, program type, hours of operation, other services provided, and accreditation.
Once you have a list of daycares in your area, you can start to delve more deeply into choosing a quality daycare that best fits the needs of your family.
Penguin Crossing Academy is proud to offer an outstanding curriculum that is educational, fun, and prepares your child for kindergarten per state educational standards.
If you’re looking to give your child a head start in school, contact Penguin Crossing Academy today!