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5
Steps to Coosing
Quality Childcare
1.
LOOK
Begin
by visiting several child care homes or centers. On each
visit, think about your first impression. Does the place
look safe for your child? Do the caregivers/teachers
who will care for your child enjoy talking and playing
with children? Are there plenty of toys and learning
materials within a child’s reach? Stay
as long as possible so you can get a good feel for what
the care will be like for your child.
2.
LISTEN
What
does the child care setting sound like? Do the children
sound happy and involved? What about the teachers’ voices?
A place that’s too quiet may mean not enough activity.
A place that’s too noisy may mean there is a lack
of control.
3.
COUNT
Count
the number of children and staff in the group. Obviously,
the fewer the number of children for each adult, the
more attention your child will get. A small number of
children per adult is most important for babies and younger
children.
4.
ASK
It’s
very important that the adults who care for your children
have the knowledge and experience to give them the attention
they need. Ask about the background and experience of
all staff: the program director, caregivers, teachers,
and any other adults who will have contact with your
child in the home or center. Quality care providers and
teachers will be happy to have you ask these questions.
5.
BE INFORMED
Find
out more about efforts in your community to improve the
quality of child care. For more information, contact
Child Care Resource and Referral of Henderson County
at (828)
692-3847 or
call Child Care Aware at 1-800-424-2246.
© 2001
NACCRRA, All rights reserved, Legal/Privacy
For
more information
call 692-3847.
Services
to parents are FREE
!
CCR&R does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, gender, or disability in the admission,
access, treatment, or employment in its programs or activities.
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North
Carolina's Five Star
Rated Licensing System for
Quality Child Care
What
is the
5-star system?
Have
you ever checked the number of stars a movie received
in newspaper reviews? Such
ratings can give you more information about choices before
you make a decision. Choosing
who will care for your child is one of the most important
decisions you can make as a parent. There
is now a rating system in place to give parents more
information about child care providers.
All
child care centers and family child care homes now
have a rating of one to five stars.
These
types of care will have a star rating:
◊ A
Child Care Center
◊ A
Family Child Care Home
◊ A
Center in a Residence
*Half
-Day Programs , which
care for
children four hours per day
or less, are exempt
from state
regulations.
How
are star  ratings
determined?
A
program that
meets minimum licensing
requirements will receive a rating of one star. Programs
do not have to apply for a higher star rating, but those
who do will be rated based on their scores in three areas:
► PROGRAM
STANDARDS:
This
includes areas such as lower staff-child ratios, more
space per child, more activities that are age-appropriate
for the children in care, and the policies and procedures
the center or home practices. All of these determine
the number of points in this category.
► EDUCATION
STANDARDS: in
child care centers and homes must complete early childhood
education courses and have experience working in licensed
child care programs.
► COMPLIANCE
HISTORY:
· For
a Center, violations of child care regulations will be
reviewed annually to determine their compliance history:
· For
a Child Care Home’s compliance history will be
based on the number of substantiated complaints or child
abuse/neglect cases that have occurred in the home over
the past three years
Bottom
Line:
The
more points in each category a
center or home daycare receives the higher the star rating.
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