After giving birth and enduring a period of extreme sleep deprivation. Are are you prepared to put your child in the care of another person? Paternity leave often expires around the time your child turns one. That means that someone else will have to look after your child in your place. One of the most important choices a family will ever make for their child is this one. It will be easier than it may sound to choose the Best Daycare with little research and planning.
In Chilliwack, your chances of finding your best daycare center increase the earlier you begin your search. Don’t feel foolish when you start your search while still carrying the baby, as most childcare waiting lists are a year long. Google is a fantastic place to look for licensed child care.
When should you start searching for childcare?
To find all the centers in your desired location, you can quickly search by neighborhood and age group. For Example infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten, and school-age. To name a few things, you can discover whether a fee subsidy is offered for a center, quality ratings for the majority of centers, contact information, the languages that staff members speak, and dietary services.
Plan a visit to a daycare
Booking a site tour is essential once you’ve narrowed down your selection of potential centers. Ask all of your questions and observe the teachers/staff interacting with the youngsters.
Essential questions to ask include
- Where the snacks and meals are sourced (cooked in-house or catered in), the daily schedule including nap/play/eat times,
- the educational training of the staff (Early Childhood Educator, Montessori certified, etc.),
- extracurricular activities (some centers include weekly physical education music classes in the fees), and so on.
You should get on their waitlist once you have limited your search to a few top candidates. Some centers provide part-time choices, although most provide full-time registration solely for infants (12-18 months).
What if I’m not interested in a daycare center setting?
There are numerous additional options available to parents, such as home daycares, hiring a nanny, or having grandparents watch your child if you are so fortunate! House daycare is an alternative for families that prefer a smaller group setting (often 5 children or fewer in a home), and you may be able to find one in your own neighborhood.
What if all of the daycare centers in my area is full?
If you cannot access your preferred center near your house, another alternative may be to choose a center closer to your workplace. Some advantages include spending a few more minutes or hours (depending on your commute!) with your loved one!
Now that you’ve figured out the daycare, you’ll need to start looking into the kindergarten school of your choosing. There are wait lists for several schools’ before and after-school programs!! Have fun, and good luck with your quest!
