Stress can come creeping in with the severely lacking or overwhelming options of daycare centres in Darwin. Understandably, you want the best and most affordable daycare Darwin that’s humanly possible close to your home or work.
You think it’s not too much to ask until you start scouting around. Then the options of too much or too little available daycare centres become stressful.
Questions such as how to tell which one is the best or can you trust the reviews come creeping in. First, be still and breathe.
While it is stressful for any parent to search for the best daycare, getting discouraged will not resolve your predicament. Using good strategies hold the key to get the right daycare for your beloved bundle of joy.
Great daycare centres show and share the following qualities, to include:
Great reviews
Current or previous parents are likely to give rave reviews for reputable daycare centres. While you can check these reviews online, asking the daycare for a few names and numbers of parents to serve as their reference is the best way to find out about their reputation. Tapping into your network of family and friends to find out their favourite ones is another way to help in your search.
Take note of any bad or good patterns as you sift through the reviews. While there is no perfect daycare, the thing to watch out for is the same type of complaints. Reviews showing the same complaint from three or four parents mean something’s not right.
Social media offers another great way to learn more about potential daycares. Most daycare centres have Facebook accounts and paying attention to their posts and feedback from parents. A daycare is seen to have a solid reputation if parents are engaged.
You feel comfortable and right as you walk in
Gut feeling and first impressions should be trusted. Does the environment provided by the daycare right for your child? Is it welcoming and home-like? Do babies have a lot of floor space to have tummy time or crawl? Are there more than enough tables or desks to accommodate older kids as they do their crafts or colour?
Are the children engaged and happy? Do the caregivers make the children feel comfortable and responsive? Are the children allowed to explore the environment? Are the things that children have learned and done prominently displayed on the walls?
You have to see if the environment and the children in them are happy together. Feeling good about the place can make you envision your child to be there as well.
Caring and qualified caregivers
Attention should also be given to adults other than the environment of a daycare. Ensure that the caregivers hold basic certificates and training in childhood development. You need to ask if the caregivers also hold training certificates for emergency procedures such as CPR.
Observing the interaction between caregivers and children can help you determine if the daycare is the best one for your child. Are their conversations meaningful? Do teachers or caregivers use a respectful tone when addressing toddlers and children? Are there a lot of no’s?
Be sure to look at a range of day cares in Darwin so that you can make the right choice about where to send your child.
