What To Look For When Selecting a Childcare Center

Today, parents have several quality childcare options to choose from. Parents can choose to place their children in daycare or preschool for different reasons, but it's safe to say that all parents are seeking the same end -- a safe and caring environment for their children.
Here are the 3 factors that could weigh significantly in making your selection:

SAFETY:

Ask yourself: Is the facility a safe and protected setting? Look for the obvious child safety precautions. Are electrical sockets in the infant room appropriately protected, are steps securely blocked by safety gates, are first aid supplies readily available and up-to-date. Also, make sure to verify that everyone on staff is properly trained in CPR and emergency safety measures. Taking this one step further, check to see if your daycare/preschool provider has an emergency response and evacuation plan. If their facility needs to be locked down or relocated what is their plan?

Goddard School Owners are committed to the safety and security of the children and teachers in their Schools and choose security systems that work best for their individual locations. In addition to formal security, School Owners and their Directors provide the most effective security - that of a personal nature. Visitors are required to present identification and register in Visitor Logs. Alternate caregivers, authorized by children’s parents, must present identification and password information. In addition, GSI developed the Goddard Quality Assurance (QA) program to monitor health and safety policies and procedures, curriculum guidelines and program standards at all Goddard Schools.


QUALIFICATIONS:

Most day care centers don’t have employees who have been trained to work specifically with infants and toddlers. So look for state licensed or accredited facilities. Childcare centers of this type are much more likely to be trained.
Each Goddard School’s faculty is made up of warm and nurturing teachers with a combination of formal education and experience. Goddard School teachers are:

· Selected for their ability to engage children warmly in the learning process through the use of effective and unique lesson plans.
· Required to fulfill education and/or experience requirements.
· Provided opportunities to participate in Goddard Systems University (GSU). GSU has been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
· Required to complete an exclusive training series developed specifically for Goddard School teachers. This unique program coaches teachers in the areas of health and safety, curriculum, developmental guidelines and enrichment programs.


ACCREDITATION:

Daycare centers and preschools that wish to be accredited apply to a private accreditation organization. These organizations set stringent standards that are usually much higher than state standards. The purpose of accreditation is to improve the quality of early educational programs. Daycare and preschool directors like to have their programs accredited because parents view accredited programs highly.

Goddard Schools, are accredited by CITA - the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation. CITA is the same accreditation board that accredits private and public schools, colleges and universities. The CITA evaluates quality, continuous improvement and student success. You can be assured that the Goddard programs meet or exceed the accreditation standards and support the emotional, social, behavioral and educational development of your child.

Goddard School Ashburn provides the highest standard of care in a safe, educational challenging environment. Experience the Goddard Ashburn difference.