Great Tips for Finding the Best Child Care Program

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - As parents with young children, finding the best possible child care program can be a daunting task. This is the time of year many parents are looking for programs starting in the fall. But what to do? To the rescue comes the Center for Young Children - a laboratory preschool - at the University of Maryland. Director Francine Favretto - who is also a member of the Department of Human Development adjunct faculty in the College of Education - asked her staff for the 10 best suggestions parents can use when searching for a great child care program:

1. Is the location convenient for you and your child? Is there transportation to and from the program?. If not how would you get your child there?

2. The program offers a safe environment that fosters development.

3. The staff is well qualified, and the program is well administered. Find out the credentials of the staff.

4. Talk to other parents for their views.

5. Make sure there is a balance of activities that includes structured and unstructured time.

6. The center should offer help with homework and tutoring if needed, as well as quiet time.

7. Uses community and, if in a school, library resources for children.

8. Capitalizes on the interests of the children and opportunities for informal social learning.

9. Provides recreational activities for children who have sat in a classroom all day.

10. For young children, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has established an accreditation process for centers serving children through eight years old. This confirms the quality of programs.

The Center for Young Children has a rich history of educating young children in College Park, Maryland, for over fifty years. Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Center for Young Children (CYC) is a full day developmental program that employs highly qualified teachers to educate and care for the children of faculty, staff, and students at the University of Maryland in College Park. As a laboratory school within the College of Education and the Department of Human Development , the CYC also participates as a member of the Montgomery County Professional Development School Network .

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