Selecting the Right Daycare

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:

QUALIFICATIONS:

It’s important that you check if a day care center has employees who have been trained to work specifically with infants and toddlers. If your center is state accredited it’s more likely to have qualified personnel.

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:

Check your daycare center or preschools accreditation. The standards for accreditation are often more stringent than state standards.

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.

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 your provider has procedures on who can pick up your child and how visitors to the school are accounted for.

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.