Fantasize with me...

[sugarmoon]

...about the perfect child care center!

I am going ot interview for a job as teaching director of a childcare center (ages 0-3 yrs). The associated preschool is a fully integrated preschool (spec. needs kids/EEE program plus everyone else) taught by 2 former waldorf teachers

What would you do if you could create a child care center?

elsa

[cozymama]

Here's some quick ideas:

Very small care-provider/child ratios

Highly trained teachers (the teachers at my son's old daycare all have formal degrees as well as extra training in gentle discipline and age-appropriate behaviors, etc- in other words teachers who, besides not yelling/hitting, don't coerce/shame/put-down and are REALLY good at being with the age-group they teach, etc. )

Alternatives to cribs for infants- my son was never in a crib

Training in dealing with breastmilk

Lots of art and music and (non-gendered) pretend play

Use of found/natural objects-- little or no plastic toys, light-flashing toys, etc. LOTS of wood, cloth, etc. natural materials.....kids can always collect their own on nature walks

Lots of parental involvement (can't force this, but can foster an environment for it)

Lots of play areas, indoor and outdoor

CHILD-LED LEARNING!!!!!! I can't even begin to say how important this is, even for infants. Let the *kids* determine the curriculumn and use lots of unschooling/unlearning

Healthy food, healthy food

Family activities some weekends to help it feel like a "community"

Personally I am big on the Reggio Emilia approach to learning, if that's not already obvious.........

If this helps, an example of something a preschool (4 yr old) class did. The kids were really into bugs so they did a five-phase bug project, designed by the kids:

1) Went on a nature walk to look for bugs (center near an enclosed park at university), took digital photos (each age "village" has a digi cam)

2) Made individual bugs using multiple mediums- paper and pencil, markers, collage bugs, etc- some of these were REALLY cool

3) Read books about bugs

4) Made bug hanging mobile as a class, gave as gift to the infant village

5) Had someone from the university come and show pics of bugs under microscopes- I think it was one of the kid's parent's colleagues??



Oh.....and NO TV!!!!!!!!!

[FireWithin]

great suggestions from pp

also,
an appropriate salary for the teachers.

[dharmamama]

A quiet room with lots of creative dividers to make spaces where little ones can get some quiet, alone, downtime. The main thing about childcare centers that creeps me out is how loud they are and how the kids never get any quiet, alone time while they are there.

Namaste!

[sugarmoon]

Thanks for the ideas so far --

lilhomegrownmama, I am a big fan of reggio emilia (at least what I know of it) as well.

I'm really excited about this job possibility. I know that there are realities taht I wont' be able to change, or change overnight anyway, but I love to create a really *good* childcare center. This center is at a cool point in its growth -- the center is 30 or so years old, but it just merged with the county parent-child center, and the director of the p-c center is running the whole thing now, and she is super cool.

I'd like to:

pay people as well as possible, w/out charging the parents too much (low income rural community), and find ways to make it a place worth working, and staying at, even when they could make more $$ elsewhere.

have it be a calm environment

have mixed ages in groups for much of the day

have kids stay with the same teachers (or at least one of their teachers) for the whole time they're in the center

get rid of the idea of "curriculum" for babies. I think by mixing ages, babies will get a more natural experience, watching older children and particpating at thier own level (not to say there won't be baby stuff too. Just no hokey "baby made this" crafts for the staff to churn out)

have all the staff trained in GD techniques and have the environment be very respectful of children and families.

[littleaugustbaby]

I think that the big ones for me would be healthy food and a staff that practices GD.

[Artisan]

--No hassles about cloth diapers
-- Allowing parents to have a flexible schedule, particularly so moms who work part time can find good child care without having to pay for full time.
-- No bottle propping

I like the pp's suggestions too. My kids are in an in-home child care center, and I really like the mixed age groups. There are five kids ranging from 9 months - 4 years, and it's fun to watch them all play at the same time.

[sugarmoon]

absolutely no hassles about cloth! i even had this fantasy about subscribing the center to a diaper service and having all the kids in cloth during the day. wouldn't that be great?

and yeah. no bottle propping. lots of slings for staff to use, and for parents to borrow to try out different kinds

[EnviroBecca]

I love all the ideas so far!

For mixed-age grouping and stability of caregiver and low ratio, how about this: Each caregiver is in charge of an infant, a toddler, and a preschooler. Two of these care "families" share a room, so the kids have someone the same age to play with (as well as larger gatherings in the art room, playground, etc.) and the caregivers have someone to keep an eye on their kids during bathroom breaks. When a child "outgrows" the center, his/her caregiver gets the next young infant who comes in.

The one thing not mentioned yet that I would add is a nap room for older kids that instead of having rows of cots (like the daycare I briefly attended) has a big futon or floor mat where kids can snuggle together or choose their own space.

[sugarmoon]

Originally Posted by EnviroBecca

For mixed-age grouping and stability of caregiver and low ratio, how about this: Each caregiver is in charge of an infant, a toddler, and a preschooler. Two of these care "families" share a room, so the kids have someone the same age to play with (as well as larger gatherings in the art room, playground, etc.) and the caregivers have someone to keep an eye on their kids during bathroom breaks. When a child "outgrows" the center, his/her caregiver gets the next young infant who comes in.

yeah, I'm thinking something like this. I think the tricky part is the ratios for kids/caregivers get higher as the kids are older, and of course, the center wants to remain fiscally viable. But I think maybe 2 part time people (say 6 am-12 and 12-6 pm), plus the two "main" full day people (say 7-3 and 10-6) would mean that you could have some extra toddlers/preschoolers in that group, and have coverage all day.

I like your idea of the nap room too. Another big on for me is being flexible on the nap times, so that babies and children can nap when they need to, not when it is Nap Time. As a parent of an almost 2.5 yr old who has always prefered to take his one nap in the morning (from 10 am-1 pm today; I know most kids his age nap after lunch, he never has) this is esp. important to me

Keep the ideas coming! My interview is on thursday. I'm not super qualified (I've never even worked at a child care facility, only as a private nanny), but I'm hoping to wow them with my vision :LOL