Finding the Right Child Care Center For Your Children

Finding the right child care is hard but extremely important. Parents want their children to get the best possible care and be able to go to work with confidence, knowing their children are in good hands. When deciding on a child care center for your children, you want to do research and ensure that the centers you are considering are good quality, follows health and safety guidelines, and gives your child the care they really need.

While we all hope to be able to trust that every child care provider is falling under a certain standard, not all will. When you start the search for the perfect child care center, there are a few things you want to look out for. First, you want to make sure you child will get the attention they need and that the child to teacher ratio is not too drastic. You also want to be sure that your child will be getting a good start on education and develop good social, cognitive, and behavioral skills. Most of all, you are probably looking for a child care provider that has a child care license.

At Montessori School of Chantilly, we are proud to be partnered with Child Care Aware®, a program that is dedicated to helping military families find the best child care. Child Care Aware helps by offering information about child care to parents and providers. As a program of Child Care Aware® of America, Child Care Aware helps families understand the elements of quality child care and offers child care providers with access to different resources for their programs.

As a partner of Child Care Aware, we offer tuition discounts to active military members and offer their children an education that will prepare them for the years to come. Child Care Aware can help you find the right child care center for your children, giving you assistance on finding a child care provider that is affordable and high quality.

The Importance of a Child Care License

By ensuring your child care provider has a child care license or searching for centers with licenses, you can know that you are finding a quality child care center. These licenses hold child care centers and providers to certain standards of health and safety.

Child care licenses hold centers to certain standards in order to operate a child care center. Depending on the state, the standards may vary. But in general the license ensures that safety procedure are followed, including: an appropriate teacher to student ratio, there are prepared plans in case of an emergency, cleaning and disinfecting material and surfaces happens regularly, and more.

This license also takes a close look at the staff that makes up these child care centers. Each staff member must pass certain background checks in a licensed center. They are also given training of different health and safety topics to ensure they are providing a safe environment for children.

While finding a child care center may have a child care license, they may not be as high quality as youhope. These are minimum standards and while a licensed child care center is still on the better side of child care, you will want to tour any center you are looking at to make sure it fits your own standards.

How Child Care Centers Get A Licence

The process varies from state to state, but the basic process starts with the potential provider completing an application for a license. Each state has a child care licensing office, which assists with new child care providers attempting to get their license. The licensors must also make sure the new programs have met the initial requirements to care for children.

These initial requirements include that all of the required staff must undergo background checks. The new child care program must also have an inspection to make sure that they meet licensing standards. Many states also requires different trainings and certifications that must be completed before a child care provider can receive their license.

Once a child care center has received its license, it will receive random inspections at random to ensure it is keeping up to the standard requirements. This is a great way to keep child care providers on top of their health and safety codes.

The Benefits of Licensed Child Care Centers

Not every child care provider requires a license to legally operate. Even though most of the time they are needed, certain types of child care centers can run without having a license. Programs with religious affiliations, such as those run at a church, do not always required a license. Family child care homes may also not need a license depending on the size of the programs, and school programs that are operated on school grounds by school staff also do not require licensing.

But there are many different reasons why a licensed program is beneficial. Licensed child care centers must meet different standards, which are regulated by the state. These child care centers that are licensed must cover certain requirements. Many states require that staff is educated and given ongoing training for child care. Background checks are required for every staff member and there must be a teacher to student ratio that is safe for the children. The license also requires the the physical environment is up to standards and that health and safety are practiced to prevent injury.

While you can most likely find a good child care center that is not licensed, finding a center that is will ensure that your child is always in a safe and healthy environment with teachers that are constantly trained. To ensure you pick the right child care center, you will want to set up a tour.

At Montessori School of Chantilly, we pride ourselves in being partners with Child Care Aware and we work hard to exceed their standards and create the best environment for your children. Schedule a free tour today to make sure that our school meets your standards as well! Contact us today with any questions you may have!