Day Care - Choosing The Right One

One of the hardest things for a parent to do is to leave their child with a stranger and trust that they will take good care of them. There is always the chance that the day care will not provide everything you would, or the caretakers might not look over your child as diligently as you do. Look into each prospective day care in detail, and get to know the caretakers and their ideas on how to interact with children.
Safety is one of the biggest risks, since children are known to get into almost anything they can get their hands on. It is extremely important that all day care employees are properly trained for what to do in the event of an injury and that all play rooms are child-proofed. Things to look out for are exposed sharp corners, open electrical outlets, or heavy objects on shelves that could fall onto the child. Make sure any exits are securely blocked or have a baby gate blocking them, with working lock mechanisms that will not accidentally swing open.
You should be actively involved with getting to know the employees, so you know how they will interact with your child. They should be okay with you calling sometimes to check in on things, rather than getting annoyed. Sometimes a family issue will affect your child and influence their mood while at day care, and the caretakers should know how to brighten the child’s mood yet not try to pry into personal affairs. To sum it up, there should be a good balance between the parent’s involvement and the amount of responsibility left to the caretaker.
Some children have special needs or diet requirements, and care providers should be flexible when it comes to specific requests from the parents. It is not the place of the employees to judge parenting skills, and they are obligated to respect how you want your child brought up and what kind of environment they are in. In addition, care providers should keep you updated on any upcoming schedule changes, raised fees, or changes in your child’s behavior. The best way to remain comfortable with your day care provider is to always be on the same page with them. 
As unnerving as it is to leave your child with someone unrelated to them every day, know that most day care centers have your child’s best interests in mind and will work with you to keep your needs and those of the child met. All it takes is a bit of research and conversation with the employees, and you will have no trouble finding a child care provider who makes you comfortable and your child happy.