When starting your search for a childcare centre or daycare in Vancouver, it can be hard to know what exactly to look for. There are many options out there, but also many factors to weigh to ensure you are meeting both you and your child’s needs.
In this blog, we will explore 5 key priorities you should keep in mind when searching for a Vancouver childcare centre. You should consider the following:
- Experienced educators/teachers
Perhaps first and foremost, you want to ensure the childcare centre’s educators are experienced, have demonstrable knowledge and are trusted, licensed educators.
At Rainforest Learning Centre, all of our childcare educators are licensed early childhood educators who go above and beyond to satisfy families’ wants and needs in a daycare. It is crucial for educators to maintain open relationships with families to ensure children are getting the most out of their program. Moreover, our educators provide individualized attention to each child and help them grow through a diversity of educational programming. In this way, childcare staff should act as more than babysitters, as they lead your child to excel and become excited about learning in a preschool setting
- Quality programming
Another vital aspect of daycare selection is identifying educational programming that is diverse, comprehensive, interactive and engaging for young kids. Ideally, look for a childcare centre that uses tried-and-true methods of education while still creating a uniquely exciting and engaging experience for preschool-aged children.
Rainforest’s programming uses a balanced curriculum approach, combining structured learning times led by the educators with open-ended, child-led creative activities that focus on the interests of the children both individually and as a group. These methods and more make up the unique curriculum at Rainforest, covering areas of math, science, music, creative arts, nutrition, playtime and more.
- Safe and clean facilities
Health and safety are always a top priority for parents and should remain so when looking for child care. Don’t hesitate to ask staff questions about certain health, safety and cleanliness policies and procedures to make sure that the facilities are kept safe and clean for your child’s wellbeing. Some factors to consider include emergency procedures, handwashing policies, regular cleaning/disinfection routines, child-safe environments and more.
- Accommodating of different learning styles
Children learn in many different ways. It is often best to choose a child-care centre in Vancouver that uses a combination of learning methods to cater to the diversity of children’s molding minds. Moreover, daycares that provide individualized attention to each child help ensure that your child does not fall behind but instead flourishes and becomes excited about learning.
Our programming combines hands-on activities and interaction with visual and auditory instruction and preschool phonics, meeting the different learning needs of unique children.
- Before and after school care
If you require additional childcare before and/or after regular daycare hours, consider looking for a daycare with before and after school care. For example, at Rainforest Learning Centre Langley and North Vancouver, we offer flexible before and after school care for children aged 5 to 12. Having this before and after school care option in the same place as your daycare can make a big difference in lightening your load as a busy parent.
It can be hard to know what to look for in a childcare centre in Vancouver, but we hope that these 5 suggestions help clarify some of the most important considerations to keep in mind, like health and safety, quality of instructors, before and after school care, and more. In our next blog, we will go over 5 more important factors to consider when looking for a childcare/daycare centre in Vancouver. Stay tuned!