How to choose a childcare centre/ nursery for your kid?

If you are a new parent, choosing a childcare centre or a nursery can give you quite a headache or you may not even care much and think that all child care centres are the same.

Well, I wouldn't agree that all child care centres are the same but here are some things to consider when you choose a child care centre or a nursery for your child.

1. Opening and closing time - If you are a working parent and you are responsible to send and pick your kids from the centre, you have to choose a centre which has the opening and closing time which works for your office hours. If you often work slightly late, some centres are able to have your child for an extra hour or two with additional charges while some strictly do not provide any leniency.

2. Transportation - Having transportation option from the childcare centre to your home can be quite useful if you are a stay at home parent or have a guardian to care for your child at home.


3. Meals - Some childcare centre provide meals (breakfast/ lunch). However it is important to find out what sort of meals they usually prepare for your kids to make sure that the meals provided should be less of junk food and more of 'real' food. But bare in mind not to be too picky, as they usually have to prepare for meals suitable for the majority of the kids and your child may not fall into the group of majority. If you prefer to have your child meals to be prepared from home, most of the childcare centres would not have an issue with that.

4. Nap times - If you plan to send your child for a full day program, it is a good idea to check out where is the location your child will be napping. If they will be napping on matts, napping in an open area or a closed room etc. I had one experience where I saw children napping on mattresses with no bed sheets, call me picky but I find it unhygienic because there is no way to wash the mattress if it gets dirty.

5. Number of caretakers and children - It is always important to check out how many caretakers and children they have in the centre. If there are too many children and very little caretakers to watch them, you may need to reconsider your choice.

6. Daily program - Do check out their daily program. A good program may not mean it is packed with ABC and 123 classes, but it should have a balance of playtime and learning time. The purpose of mentioning this is not to tell you what your child should be learning but rather just be aware of what your child will be doing at the centre. Some centres would just let the kids just watch TV the whole day which you definitely would not want.

7. Trial classes - Most of the centres would allow your child to join a day or two at the centre. It is a good opportunity to see if your child and yourself is comfortable being at the centre.

Besides these points listed above, there are definitely more than just these. However all of these tips and points are just suggestions. What may be suitable for others may not be suitable for you and vice versa. Choose a centre which works for your child and you.

Hope all things will turn out great and good luck!