The importance of choosing the right care environment for your child cannot be over exaggerated. Children are not only vulnerable, they are impressionable. They need a safe and happy environment surrounded by care givers who are adequately trained and who care about their physical and mental well being.
The first five years of your child’s life is critical to brain development. While connections in the brain are made throughout our lives, the rapid pace of brain growth and development in the first five years is never repeated. The behaviour patterns and stress management techniques a child learns in the first few years of their lives can impact their entire life. There is a considerable amount of evidence to support the importance of the early years of child development in relation to; overall health, well being and competence throughout a person’s life.
Our babies and toddlers are unable to express their experience at childcare. We need to ensure they are treated with respect, dignity and care by trained child care professionals. Use this childcare centre checklist as a prompt to talk to your prospective care centre. Ask around for good centres in your area. Facebook can be good place to start for childcare center reviews. We have put together a extensive checklist on what to look for in a good childcare centre and have covered the following topics:
- Availability, Registration & Costs
- Health and Safety Procedures
- Security
- Curriculum
- Staff Qualifications
- Nutrition
- Environment
- Play Areas
- First Aid Training
For a copy of the Checklist and Fact Sheet see below.
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- Childcare Centre Checklist
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- Childcare Centre Fact Sheet
Maree has over five years of experience in Occupational Health and Safety and in the development of safety standards, training workshops and improvement initiatives. She is passionate about health, safety and education. Maree, a mother of two children, has a Advanced Diploma in OHS and will be graduating soon with a B.Sc. (HSE) from Australia.
