If you just had a new baby and are planning to go back to work, now is the time to find a daycare for your little one. When it comes to daycare, it can be hard to make a choice. Below are some tips on helping you make sure the daycare you choose will be best for you and your baby.

Safety

One of the most important things about a daycare is safety. The daycare you are choosing should have procedures set up for signing your baby in and signing your baby out of the daycare. They should ask you to give them a list of people that can pick up your baby, as well as people that could not. 

The daycare should have their doors locked at all times. They may also have doors that have an access code type of lock on them. This will help prevent someone from easily walking into the daycare or any children from walking out the door. 

Teacher to Child Ratio

The daycare should have the right teacher to child ratio. The standards for this depend on what state that you live in. For example, some states require a 4 to 1 ratio for babies and a 6 to 1 ratio for toddlers. This will ensure there are enough teachers to properly care for the children. 

Determine what the rules are for your state and then ask the daycare center how many teachers they have on their premises each day. Also, ask the daycare how many children are signed up for the daycare. Look it up online if you are not sure what the requirements are for your state. 

Activities Offered

There should be a variety of activities offered at the daycare. Even though your baby is currently an infant, they will grow and need activities to help them learn and get ready for kindergarten. There are some daycares that offer kindergarten readiness programs. 

Activities should be set up for separate age groups. For example, toddlers can do things like painting, counting, building things with blocks, and more. It would be good if the daycare also has storytime each day to read a book to the children. This is often done right before nap time. Every daycare has different types of activities for their children so make sure you ask the daycare about this.

Speak with a variety of daycares in your area until you find the one that you feel the most comfortable with. Contact a daycare, such as A Place to Grow, for more information. 

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