Tips for choosing the right early learning centre.

Location to home & work

Balancing work and children can be a challenge. It is important to make sure that you are selecting a day care centre that is conveniently close to either your home, work or both. If you work longer hours or are the primary person responsible for pickups and drop offs, it might be a good idea to choose a centre near work. Alternatively, if you can share the workload of dropping your child to daycare and picking them up, selecting an early learning centre close to home may be more convenient.

Opening hours

Before you enrol at an early education centre, make sure you check the opening hours and the length of the sessions. This information is usually detailed on the homepage of the centre’s website. Remember that centres close for public holidays, so you’ll have to make other arrangements with family or friends if you happen to work on public holidays.

Age of enrolment

If you’re going back to work when your child is still a baby, it’s really important to check which centre will cater for your young child. Many centres accept children from 6 weeks of age, but others can’t accommodate babies. Have a chat with your preferred child care providers about their nursery facilities – and meet some of the eEducators that may be caring for your child. Spending time in the nursery room for example will give you a great insight into how your baby will be cared for – and help you select a centre where you and your baby will feel right at home.

Range of childcare services

While you may be focusing on long daycare for your little ones, you should also keep in mind the changing needs of your growing family. Will you require vacation care at some stage? Do you need before or after school care for siblings? Consider the changing requirements of your family before enrolling in an early education or child care centre.

Staff-to-child ratio

To ensure a high quality learning environment, it’s important to have a healthy staff-to-child ratio. Centres with higher staff-to-child ratios often provide a more personalised and attentive education experience, as the educators are responsible for a smaller group of children. Talk to your preferred child care providers about their staff-to-child ratio as well as the qualifications and experience of their educators.

Facilities

With indoor and outdoor play areas, educational spaces and individual rooms, there are so many facilities that can add to the early education journey. Perhaps you’re passionate about rich educational resources, or you want a centre that boasts great play equipment? Choose a centre that offers facilities that inspire a vibrant, interactive and safe learning environment – and help your child grow through play-based learning.

Education philosophy

The philosophy of your child care provider will inspire the early education curriculum. There are a range of diverse education philosophies for example our Reggio Emilia inspired curriculum aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework and is child centred. Educate yourself on your centre’s education philosophy to make sure it’s a good fit for your family.

Confident Kids Child Care and Early Learning

Raising confident kids is what we’re passionate about. And the best way to do that is by choosing the right child care and early learning provider. Confident Kids is based in South Australia with three centres located in Croydon Park, Salisbury and Holden Hill. You can phone our Croydon Park centre on 08 7078 0129, our Salisbury location on 08 7078 9912, or our Holden Hill centre on 08 7077 6000. You may also fill out a pre-enrolment form online and connect with us on Facebook. We can’t wait to speak with you about your child’s early learning journey.