Choosing child care
I’m sitting here contemplating the irony. I’ve worked as a Childcare Professional for years and have told many parents desperate for care that the waiting list is long or even full. And here I am, trying to get childcare and I’m being told I’m on the waiting list!
I now understand how difficult and even distressing this can be. It is such a hard situation. The previous government told us that there isn’t a childcare shortage, that there were plenty of places. And apparently there are but just finding a place is not the only thing I’m looking for when it comes to childcare.
I could find a place for my son very easily but it would probably be in a centre that didn’t suit us! I’m looking for quality and a place where my son and my partner and I feel at home. I want my son to feel loved, nurtured and cared for. I want the environment to feel warm and friendly. I want to feel that my partner and my input is valued. I want it to feel a little bit like home. And I don’t think that is too much to ask!
Friends have asked me how you know when you’ve found the right centre for you and your child? What I look for when I first walk in to any centre are these things:
Staff greet you and your child warmly and make you feel welcome. The children in the room are content and if they are not then there is a staff member helping them. You cannot expect that a childcare centre will always be happy and fun but when it isn’t, you want to feel sure that the unsettled children are being responded to with warmth. Is there a range of resources for the children to explore? Do staff follow your home routine when it comes to sleep, food etc. Can I drop in and visit? What qualifications does the staff team have? Is the centre accredited?
And if these answers come up to scratch I go on my gut feeling. If the staff are friendly, the space safe, fun and engaging and if it feels good it may be the centre for my child. And me.
Emma Anderson is a qualified Children’s Services Professional and is currently on the executive of the South Australian Chapter of Early Childhood Australia. She has an eight month old son Jasper.
