Daycare in Cincinnati :: How To Choose a Daycare

First things first: you have to know exactly what you're looking for, or you're not likely to find it. Start a list of things that the perfect daycare would be for you; location, atmosphere, price range, anything and everything that you can think of that would make it ideal. Once you've narrowed your search down to a few top contenders, compare them to your list; the closer they are to meeting all your expectations, the happier you're likely to be with them.

Also, once you've settled on a handful of daycare providers that you want to look at more closely, you should visit each of them at least twice: once by yourself (to ask questions and have a good look around), and once with your child (to see how they react to it). Kids are actually very good judges of character, and if your child doesn't seem pretty comfortable with the adults and other children at the facility, you should definitely take that into account in your evaluation.

Ask your friends, relatives, and coworkers if any of them have heard of, or have had any experience with, the people or places you're considering; if they have, what have they heard, or what were their experiences, good or bad? If they don't know personally, ask them to ask their friends, relatives, and coworkers for you; it's a small world, and there's no substitute for insider knowledge when you're looking for the best quality child care.

About that first visit: when you go, bring a list of questions with you. It's hard to remember all the questions you'd like to ask, especially once you're in the middle of a conversation with someone you're just meeting for the first time. Having a list with you will ensure that you don't forget any important questions while you're there. (We have a handy starter list of questions here.)

Also, when you're visiting potential child care facilities, it's a good idea to take a list of things to look for while you're there. Once again, it's not easy for most people to remember everything they want to look at with all the distractions that will probably accompany your visit; having a list will make you confident that you haven't overlooked anything important. (And once again, we have a starter list of things to look for on a visit to a prospective daycare facility.)

Here's a video I found on youtube about how to choose a daycare:

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via daycareincincinnati.com

a multi-part post (with video) on how to choose a daycare.