Five things you must be able to provide for the children at your daycare
Running a daycare is one of the noblest services you can provide. Parents need to know that they can drop their children off in a safe and enriching environment so they can focus on work and not worry about their kids.
As a childcare specialist, you have to have love to give and patience to spare. There will be days when the kids are hyper, won’t listen, or are fussy for no reason. It doesn’t matter what kind of behavior the children exhibit, their care has to remain your number one priority.
Read on to learn the five things you must be able to provide for the children at your daycare.
1) Safety
One you run a childcare center of any kind, your number one priority is the safety of every child under your charge. As their first line of defense against themselves, children – and their parents – are counting on you to handle this weighty responsibility.
You should keep first-aid kits for every possible “just in case” scenario. You also need to make sure that your staff has their certification to perform CPR. In many states, the law establishes that all childcare professionals must get their certification in order to practice.
Even if it’s not the law in your state, you want to make sure that all of your staff is capable of administering resuscitation. You can get an online CPR certification in less than two hours, so you should make the CPR class and certification part of the hiring process for job applicants.
The design of your daycare plays an enormous role in the safety of your facility. If you run an in-home daycare, then be mindful of your furniture choices.
For instance, you may want to get a TV table stand made of wood rather than one made of glass. You won’t have to worry as much about the children’s safety around the wood table because it won’t shatter and should also be sturdier.
2) Educational activities
The main difference between a daycare and a preschool is the educational services provided to the students at the preschool. However, if you want to set your daycare apart from the rest of the competition, then you need to be willing to go the extra mile.
Rather than just giving your kids some counting and alphabet blocks and letting them go for what they know, provide them with educational games. There are numerous children’s games that teach toddlers and preschool-aged children how to count, say their alphabet, and read. Some of the more advanced games even teach them Spanish!
3) Entertainment
As a childcare provider, you’re also a fulltime entertainer. A bored toddler is one that’s only a few seconds away from wreaking mayhem.
You should always have a day full of fun activities planned to go alongside some of the educational games you offer. Education is vital, but sometimes all kids want is a good laugh.
When kids just want to unwind, you should have them create their own fun. Help them to make finger puppets and have them put on a show for you and the other staff.
You could also set up a little talent show and give them all their five minutes of fame. The key is to engage the kids in entertaining activities rather than sitting them in front of a screen and watching them gaze and drool the day away.
4) Nutrition
Another of your most important responsibilities is providing your kids with proper nutrition. Parents don’t want to come to pick their kids up in the afternoon to see that their child’s just nearing the peak of a monumental sugar rush.
Serve healthy, well-balanced meals for lunch and provide fruit snacks that won’t have them bouncing off the walls. By feeding them fruit for snack time, you’re also reinforcing the importance of eating healthy later in life.
5) Affection
Recent studies have shown that affection is crucial to child development. It boosts their self-confidence and helps them to become more thoughtful and attentive students.
You should be careful about being too hands-on with the kids in your daycare, but you can show an acceptable level of caring enthusiasm. Something as simple as high-fiving kids as they enter your daycare center could brighten their entire day.
Pass out high-fives liberally whenever they do something to make you proud. Your positive reinforcement early in life will serve them well later on in their development.
Photo by Vanessa Bucceri
