Quality Indicators and What they mean

These characteristics can help parents make better child care choices for their children because they indicate a much greater likelihood of high quality care. Quality indicators measure the conditions that generally foster a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for children. They are:

Star rating: (Discussed above) The star rated licensing system gives programs guidelines to follow if they want to improve quality.  A programs’ star rating is on its license, which should be visibly posted.    

Staff-Child Interaction: Observe how the provider interacts with all children to insure the provider is warm and patient. 

Low staff/child ratio: A brochure in your parent packet will summarize North Carolina child care rules and laws show a table of child/staff ratios. 

Age	Teacher : Child Ratio	Maximum Group Size
0-12 months	1:5	10
12-24 months	1:6	12
2 years old	1:10	20
3 years old	1:15	25
4 years old	1:20	25
School-age	1:25	25

Small group size: Smaller groups are usually safer and calmer, so find out how many children are grouped together. 

Education of staff: It is important to know how much education your child's teacher has.  The more a teacher knows how young children grow and learn the more likely they will do a good job with your child.

Staff stability: Staff stability is important for children.  The child does best when they can stay with the same caregiver for at least a year.

Family involvement: Your provider should have an open door policy and you should be able to visit at anytime.  Great example of this would be a provider sending home notes each day stating the type of day your child had.  How often the diaper was changed – How well did your child eat – Did you child take a good nap…

Age appropriate activities: What is a typical day for the children?  Do they have a variety of activities planned for each day?

What indicators would be important to you? 

For more information, please contact us at Child Care Connections or check out our website

child care services helped provide tidbits of information... click their website for more.

How to Choose Quality Child Care

When a family calls our agency, we do our best to provide them with the knowledge needed to choose a quality care center or home. Although we do not recommend, we just refer the family to local child care providers that fit their needs, we hope that our services will help a family recognize certain indications that prove a center or home is a high quality facility. 

Child Care providers are licensed by the North Carolina Division of Child Development.  The focus of this licensing is to protect the health, safety, and well being of the children in child care. We want to make sure your little one is in a safe and loving environment that met YOUR standards. So we focus on whether you need a child care with special needs training, day or evening shifts,  if you have certain environmental needs in mind, etc. Then, we focus on providing you with the information needed to select quality care.  

Check out the list below on a few steps to help in choosing quality child care. 

Come back next Friday to discuss quality indicators such as star rating, staff/child ratio and family involvement!

Five Steps for Choosing Quality Child Care

I. Look

Begin by visiting several child care homes or centers. On each visit, think about your first impressions, but don’t stop there. Look at the area, the caregiver, and the children. Make sure the environment is safe, inside and out. Also look at the furnishings. Make sure there are plenty of toys and learning materials within your child’s reach.

 

II. Listen

What does the child care setting sound like? Do the children sound happy and involved? What about the teacher’s voices? Do they seem cheerful and patient? A place that is too quiet may mean not enough activity. A place that’s too noisy may mean there’s a lack of control. In high quality learning environments children are excited about what they are doing and are excited about being there. If children look scared or bored, they probably are.

 

III. Count

Count the number of children in the group. Then count the number of caregivers. Obviously, the fewer the number of children for each adult, the more attention your child will receive. A small number of children per adult is especially important for babies and younger children.

 

IV. Ask

It is very important that the adults that care for children have the knowledge and experience to give them the attention they need. Ask about the background and experience of all staff. If possible, ask other parents who use that facility.

 

V. Decide

Decide which arrangement will work best for your family. Go over your notes and questions you have asked. If you are unsure of a program, visit again

Are you in need of child care?

Call us today at 704-487-7778 or email our specialist at parenthelp@ccchildcareconnections.org

Our website also provides online referrals click the link for more information!