Page 36 - Choosing a Child Care Center

LETY CARVAJAL, M.ED.

emotional, and intellectual skills. This applies no
matter what the specific curriculum plan or education
philosophy the school follows. Standards of quality
will apply in different ways, but they will still apply.
According to research from the American Acade-
my of Pediatrics, children who attend high-quality
programs demonstrate better skills in math, lan-
guage, and cognition, are better at developing inter-
personal relationships, and have better behavioral
self-regulation than children who attend lower-
quality programs. Benefits of high-quality child care
are enhanced brain development, greater success in
school, and better cognitive and social skills. It’s not
enough to be average. In order for children to be
successful, they need to be in a program with excep-
tional standards and staff. These standards should
apply to cleanliness, staff training and benefits,
organization, curriculum, parent communication,
and education.
The first step in choosing a quality center is to do
your research. Since there are no federal standards
for child care centers, the licensing and regulations
vary from state to state. Good quality centers are
licensed and should meet or exceed any state regula-
tions. This is especially true when it comes to student
-teacher ratios. Every state has different guidelines on
how many students per teacher are allowed in the
classroom, but really high-quality schools will exceed

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