I am currently sourcing for a day care centre for my 17 month daughter. May I ask what are the things that I should be looking out for during my visit to my shortlisted centres?

This may be a lot to take in (especially if you're bringing your child there alone!), but there's a few things that you should look out for at the centre: - environment (is the place clean, any safety hazards lying around) - facilities/amenities (is it air-conditioned, toilet facilities) - comfortability with teachers/principal (how comfortable are you in interacting with them) - how do the kids behave (are they happy, bored, sad, screaming, crying etc?) - interaction between teachers and with kids (are the teachers comfortable with each other, are the kids comfortable with the teachers) In addition to that, you should look at how comfortable your child is at the centre. When I brought my son to Centre A, he spent 80% of the time in my arms because he wasn't comfortable with the environment - and it was a Saturday so there was only one other kid around. However, when we went to Centre B, he came down as soon as we entered - he started taking the books from the shelf and passing it to the in-charge, then walking around the centre to explore it. It was a weekday so many other kids were around and most of the older kids even came to say hello to him, which made the whole visit really enjoyable! While you're at the centre, there's probably a lot that you're worried about and want to ask - but what exactly should you take note of? Here are some questions which may get you thinking: 1) HEALTH & SAFETY - are there any CCTVs installed in and around the centre, and is it possible for us to check the footage if we need to? - what's the teacher-to-children ratio? would more teachers be assigned if there is outdoor activity? - are the teachers first-aid trained, and what is the standard procedure if a child gets hurt? - what's the history of HFMD in the centre, and what does the centre do to prevent cases? - is there any procedure before the children get into the centre? any safety and health precautions? - what happens if a child is sick and his/her parent is unable to bring him/her home? 2) CURRICULUM & DAILY ACTIVITIES - what's the curriculum for the children, and are there any special programs? - what's the qualifications of the teachers? how often are teachers changed? are they trained in early childhood education? - what are the kids having at the centre for meals? - what milk/drink does the centre serve? can parents pre-prepare breastmilk/fresh milk? - what's the discipline approach in the centre? - what time do they take naps, and what happens if they don't want to sleep? - what's the bedtime routine, and where do they sleep? - if the kids aren't being co-operative/doesn't want to be in the centre, what do the teachers do about it - or should we consider changing centres? 3) BATH & TOILET - do we need to train our child to be toilet-trained before enrolling in the centre? - what time do they shower? - what do we need to prepare in terms of toiletries (eg. toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, towel, a pack of diapers, diaper cream etc)? 4) PREPARATION & COMMUNICATION - how do teachers communicate with parents? Is there a communication booklet/WhatsApp group/mobile app? - what if the parents are unable to pick the kids up on time, can we get another person to pick them up? how would their identity be verified? - is there anything else that we have to prepare (eg. milk bottles, name tags, pacifiers, favourite toy etc)? - what do we need to teach our child before enrolling to the centre (eg. hold own milk bottle, eat on their own, express themselves, say simple words etc)? - is there a price list I can bring home? does it include all the enrolment fees, deposit, insurance, uniform, mattress and miscellaneous expenses? - how do subsidies work? do we have to pay for the full price first or can we apply before enrolment? what are the documents needed?  Of course, it's impossible to ask every question while you're there - unless you interview/interrogate them. What you can do is just ask whatever question that comes to mind, then check with them (before leaving) whether you could e-mail them if you have any further questions!

Make a checklist and carry with you so that you don't miss out on anything. Here's what I looked for when I was hunting for a day care for my daughter. 1. Hygiene: Hygiene should be the top most thing on your list as day care centres that have too many babies tend to get a little messy. Look for big spacious toilets and clean diaper changing rooms. 2. Food safety: Second thing to check would be the kitchen and the food safety standards that they follow. Check with them on when they cook the meals and see if there is a big gap between the actual lunch time and cooking time. Also checkout the storage if you intend to give them pumped breast milk, in case you're still breastfeeding your baby. 3. The count: Checkout the number of kids that they have coz if there are too many kids, things start getting out of hand for the teachers and the helpers. 4. The activities: While this might not be important right now for you considering that your daughter is just one and half years, day care centres also have a list of activities that they carry out to engage the baby throughout the day. Find out what they are and see if you have any suggestions to make.

Things i look out for when it comes to choosing - environment & atmosphere - CCTV - Room arrangement - Dinning Arrangment - Food (cook in house or catered?) - What are their safety measures when there is a HFMD outbreak Bring ur daughter along, see how they handle your daughter during the visit

I usually have set of questions ready to ask. Meals, routine schedule, teachers background, hygiene practice, curriculum, teacher to student ratio. These are the few things I always ask without fail.

thanks