Finding Quality Child Care in Oakville

On Wednesday we had a representative from The Halton Resource Connection come and speak at our Baby Basics program about finding quality childcare.  Whether you are looking for full time or part time care, the information she provided to us was extremely helpful so I wanted to try and summarize some key points to share.


We received a handbook called "A Parents' Guide to Quality Child Care" which has a ton of valuable information in it.  It covers things like the differences between child care centres, licensed home care providers and independent home care providers.  It also provides lists of questions to ask when you are seeking child care.  There is also a section on the Quality First program which is a development model for quality improvement in child care centres.  Does your child care centre participate in the program?

We talked about the three types of programming philosophies that are used in different centres or home daycares.

Reggio Emilia
High Scope
Montessori

Deciding what programming is right for your child is completely up to you and all of them are great learning tools for children.

We also discussed the need for your child care provider to provide you with their policies and procedures guide (yes, even in an independent home care setting!) which should include things like their approach to discipline, illness policy, payment policy and their hours of operation.

Once you've selected child care, it's important to build a relationship with those people caring for your child. Clarify your expectations, share information, discuss your concerns and maintain the partnership.

The Halton Resource Connection can assist you in doing a search for appropriate childcare and are also happy to speak with you over the phone to further provide support.

I really like the daycare that my son has been attending.  I find they are open with communication, I can see that they are really invested in his well being and show lots of support and affection.  It's still hard to leave him there sometimes (he's been there for almost 2 years!) but I feel good in the choice we made for his child care.

It's a really tough decision to make and can be really stressful on both parents and kids in the beginning.  But most kids adjust to child care pretty quickly and you will soon have a fridge covered in art work they bring home and hear the names of new friends that they are excited to see.

Whatever you choose, as long as you are comfortable with it, then it's the right decision for your family!