VESL for Child Development

Hi, good morning. My name is Katie Yates.

How can we help you?

Hi, welcome to my home

come on in.

Hi

Hi, come on in.

Yes

Heidi and Michael are gathering

information for one of the most

important decisions they will make for

their child, Tyler.

They are visiting a

childcare center and a family childcare

home to consider which type of

environment they would prefer for Tyler.

One of the first considerations should

always be that the program be licensed. A

friend of us told us about your center

and women to come check it out today

Well, I'm glad you're here to visit us.

Is this your first visit here?

Yes, great.

This is all new to us so we picked up a

checklist from childcare resource and

referral. We're hoping it would have some

questions that we could ask. We're also

going to look into a family childcare

home. We're not quite sure which

environment would be right for Tyler.

Great. I'll make sure you have all the

answers you need to make a good decision.

The same standards that you find in a

daycare home, you're going to find in a

family childcare home. Of course, we're

smaller and we have less kids, but let me

show you around.

The children here appear to be happy and

well cared for They're all involved in

activities. The teacher gets down to the

child's eye level to listen talk and

play. The teachers give individual

attention to each child and they seem to

be warm, kind, calm, and patient. We think

individual attention is important.

We do that by keeping our group sizes small

there are plenty of materials like

blocks, books, puzzles, art supplies, and

toys. Can you describe a typical day here?

Sure, I'll be glad to. Our schedule is

posted each day on the wall and you can

follow that. We do believe that planned

time is important for children. We

incorporate outside play music story time

and activities that are planned for the

children throughout the day. However, we

also think that it's important to allow

children lots of time for meaningful

play. It's through play that children

learn best. It's their opportunity to

explore different roles and the art of

negotiation to experience different

materials and how to construct or create

unique objects and to enjoy books and

art and communication for writing

singing making music and conversation

Each day we set out different types of

materials for children to explore it's

important that we set these things out

and offer children opportunities to

investigate.

We absolutely want Tyler to

excel at school and we know that he

learns through clay so we want to make

sure that the daycare that we choose

prepares years

Absolutely. What you won't

find here is a lot of worksheets because

we know that the research does show that

children who are skillful in play excel

in school.

When children play with blocks,

they're learning the properties of

materials and many mathematical concepts.

Dress up pretend or dramatization play

helps kids develop the social skills

they need to make friends, negotiate, and

get their needs met in a socially

acceptable way. It gives them an

opportunity to be in different adult

roles. This enhances literacy skills

through language development and on the

playground they're learning their

coordination improving motor skills and

learning how to navigate their bodies

through space they are also learning

rules of a game and how to play with

others.

The facility does seem cheerful

clean and safe and the equipment appears to be in

good condition. Children's artwork and

projects are on the boards. You can see

families and children are important.

Teachers and children wash their hands

frequently and diaper changing is done

frequently as well it looks like the

indoor space is ample for play and

inviting. There's space design for naps

meals and for the children's belongings.

This outdoor play area is fenced and

looks safe, well equipped, and supervised.

There are materials for the children to

play with and different kinds of

equipment for different kinds of skill

development.

All licensed childcare

providers are required to check

references and conduct background checks

on all staff and anyone residing in the

home. If it's a family childcare home,

staff are required to attend at least 10

hours of early childhood education

training a year. There must be someone

present at all times who is trained in

first aid and certified in CPR.

We 're very proud of our Gold Seal designation

and we're also part of the 5-star

program. We feel it shows our commitment

to quality. The Gold Seal is earned when

a center is recognized by an accredited

childcare organization. The accreditation

process can be a long and difficult

process of self-examination and

improvement prior to the accreditors

visit.

Are there policies and procedures

for dropping off and picking up children?

Yes. they're all outlined in our parent

handbook which I'll give you a copy of.

Also, along with that our procedures to

ensure that children are all accounted

for during transition times outside play

field trips and so forth

In my parent handbook.

You'll also find policies for

emergencies vacations substitutes

illness and injuries and you'll also

find my philosophy and education and the

policy on discipline as well.

Do teachers encourage parent visits

any time of the day and encourage

parental involvement. Absolutely we

encourage you to stop by any time.

Visitors are always welcome.

We even provide evening activities so

more parents can be involved.

What's included in the rate that you charge?

Meals and snacks, music and art supplies,

and field trips. After we visited all of

our prospects, why don't we narrow down

the list and spend a little more time in

each play.

The last question on the checklist is,

Will our child be happy in this program?

I think we'll have to answer that for

Ourselves. We have plenty of information

to help us. Well, I don’t know, I think Tyler is

answering that question for us.

Choosing childcare is an important and difficult

decision. There are benefits of both

family childcare homes and centers.

You'll need to choose which is the best

fit for your family before deciding on a

childcare provider. We encourage you to

review their inspection reports

available from childcare licensing. Spend

time with your child at the childcare

setting. See how they interact with the

caregivers and other children. This will

help them and you feel more secure as

they enter a new childcare setting. For

more information contact childcare

resource and referral at 1 800 843-9780