what are the things to look out for when it comes to choosing a childcare for your child?

1) Licensed care provider First and foremost, ensure that the childcare centres in your shortlist are licensed by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). A licensed centre has to comply with the Ministry’s regulations with regards to staffing, administrative and physical requirements. The list of licensed childcare centres can be found on the MCYS website. 2) Availability of places Some childcare centres are extremely popular and have long waiting lists, so be sure to call up the centre to find out if there are still available places. For the very popular centres, parents may even need to register up to one year in advance just to be on the waiting list. 3) Location and fetching timing Should the childcare centre be near your home or your workplace? If it is to be near the workplace, transport arrangements have to be considered. For instance, will the child be taking public transport and will there be difficulties getting to the centre on rainy days? Despite the logistical concerns, some parents may opt for centres near their workplace so as to be able to pop by to visit the child during lunchtime. The decision on location will go hand in hand with the timing that you need to fetch your child from the centre. Childcare centres usually adhere strictly to their respective timings and fines may be imposed for turning up late to fetch the child. There may even be specific rules stating that if the child is fetched late from the centre beyond a certain number of times, the child can no longer be enrolled at the centre. 4) Fees, notice period and availability of trial period The fees charged can vary widely between different childcare centres, hence choose one which suits your budget. This may be an important consideration for parents who intend to put more than one child at a centre. For working mothers of Singapore citizen children who meet the requirements including the stipulated number of working hours, there is a childcare subsidy granted by the government which will help offset the cost. In addition, it is important to find out other information such as the notice period, withdrawal procedures and the availability of trial periods. 5) Staff-to-child ratio Generally a smaller staff-to-child ratio means the likelihood that a child receives more individualised care will be higher. Find out if there are designated childcare staff for each class, for instance playgroup or kindergarten and whether staff are shared between classes. Note that childcare centres need to adhere to staff-to-child ratios stipulated by MCYS and these vary for different age groups. There are also regulations on the proportion of trained staff, for instance with qualifications such as Diploma in Childhood Education that the centres have to comply with. For more details, please refer to the MCYS website. 6) Hygiene and ventilation An important consideration is definitely the hygiene level. If the floor feels grimy and filthy or there are bad musty smells which indicate poor ventilation, these may be causes for concern. During the visit to the centre, take a peek at the toilets. Also some parents may prefer an air-conditioned environment for their child while others may not. and many others but these are the few that I personally feel that it is more important.