You’ve done your research and made the decision that daycare is the best option for your family. That’s great news! But the research isn’t quite finished yet. As any parent will tell you, when it comes to selecting the best home daycare agency in Toronto, doing a little extra research will make a big difference to your child’s experience. Daycare Consulting Services can help you in making the right choices.
How to Find the Best Home Daycare in Toronto
On the plus side, there are lots of great options to choose from in the GTA. On the downside, these extra options mean you have to do a little more research to choose the best for your kids. With a little extra legwork, you can find a home daycare that is really well suited to your needs. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Set expectations: What are you hoping to get out of the arrangement with a daycare provider? Whether you’re just looking for a place that your kids can have fun at during the day, or a place for them to learn specific skills, there is a home daycare agency in the GTA for you. It’s important to look at your own expectations first and foremost before beginning any kind of search.
- Licensed or Unlicensed? In Canada, there are two types of daycare, licensed and unlicensed. A licensed home daycare provider receives unannounced visits from an agency. They are also allowed to have more than 6 children in the program. Unlicensed providers can have up to five children in care. New ratios as of July 2019 is 3 children can be under 2 years and 2 children over 2 years up to age 13.
- Reputation: This is one of the most important things to look for in home daycare in Toronto. Ask the provider for references or drop by during pick up time and ask some parents directly about the daycare. If parents aren’t raving about it, you may want to continue your search elsewhere. Daycare Consulting Services can provide you references on the provider of choice.
- Policies and Rules: While some flexibility is important, like when you can drop off/pick up your kids, when it comes to basic ground rules and safety, the provider should be well organized and able describe their policies and provide them in writing. Things like sick policies, emergency plans and parental drop-in allowance should all be considered carefully.
- Curriculum: The best daycare providers take their curriculum seriously. Some are more specialized, while most are centered around general care and young learning. Either way, the daycare should have a plan for activities each day, lots of active play time, quiet time and if necessary, time for meals and snacks. All of the activities should be age appropriate. Ask for a sample lesson plan so you can get an idea of a typical day
Just a little research will go a long way for you to select the best home daycare in the GTA for your family. If you make the right choice, you can look forward to lots of art projects, new friends and one tired little kid at the end of the day.
To find out more information contact Daycare Consulting Services
