When looking for a childcare centre or daycare in Vancouver, it can be hard to know what exactly to look for. With so many options out there, there is much to consider to ensure you make the right choice for your unique child.
In this blog, we will explore five of the top priorities you should keep in mind when searching for a Vancouver childcare centre.
- Communication with parents
As a parent, you likely want to keep in close contact with the staff at your childcare centre. The first step to ensuring open communication is picking a daycare that prioritizes communication with families.
At Rainforest Learning Centre, our early childhood educators make an extra effort to maintain open relationships with families, ensuring both children and parents are getting the most out of the program. We also keep parents informed of daily activities through safe and secure internal communication channels, newsletters and more. This open line of communication eases your anxiety as a parent entrusting your child to the care of others.
- Convenient location
One factor that matters in your search for a quality Vancouver daycare is the location’s proximity to home and other convenient spots like your workplace, your other children’s school, subway stations, green spaces and more.
At our Rainforest Learning Centre daycare in Coquitlam, we are conveniently located just one block from Lougheed Skytrain station and situated in the Encore Residential Tower, with access to a rooftop playground. Families in Coquitlam, Burnaby, North Burnaby, New Westminster, Burquitlam and surrounding areas find this location to be a convenient spot.
Our North Vancouver childcare centre is located on the grounds of Queensbury Elementary School. By being so close, your child gets a head start at familiarizing themselves within an elementary school setting, and this provides an easy two-in-one drop-off and pick-up for families with older children in grade school. This location is best for families in North Vancouver and surrounding areas like Upper Lonsdale.
In Langley, our daycare and preschool centre is located on the grounds of Blacklock Fine Arts Elementary School, providing a nice stepping stone to grade school and a convenient drop-off/pick-up spot for families with children in elementary school. This location is also next to Langley City Park, an expansive green space that’s home to Al Anderson Memorial Pool and Langley Community Music School.
- Outdoor time
One factor that is sometimes overlooked in your grand search for a childcare centre is how much outdoor time is incorporated into the day. Ideally, look for a childcare spot that is located next to or near green spaces and playgrounds to take sweet advantage of.
At Rainforest, to ensure children get adequate outdoor time, our locations are all situated next to spaces like parks, playgrounds, creeks and ponds. Our Langley location, specifically, is next to a waterpark and outdoor pools used for swimming lessons. These spaces provide exceptional opportunities for fun and educational outdoor time.
- Field trips
The best child-care centres in Vancouver go beyond the typical preschool setting, introducing children to new, interesting, interactive environments through field trips. Through these excursions and supplementary activities, children discover more of the city in which they live and gain new, fun experiences to broaden their worldview.
At Rainforest, our childcare centres value bringing these real-life experiences to our programming to make for a holistic educational experience. Some examples of field trips include going to the bowling alley, community parks, indoor fun zones, the beach, the recycling depot, Science World and the library.
- Year-round programming
Lastly, one of your top considerations for choosing a childcare centre should be the convenience of year-round programming. Most families require childcare even in the summer months, so ideally, look for a daycare that offers the flexibility of a full-day program that runs throughout the year.
Fortunately, our Rainforest Learning Centre locations are open all year, through the holidays and summer!
We hope that these five important factors help clarify what you should look for in a daycare/childcare centre in Vancouver, including location, year-round programming, communication with parents and outdoor time. If you’re looking for even more tips, check out our last blog.