Photo of a child playing with a truck by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

When it comes to finding a daycare center for your child, the possibilities can be overwhelming. You want the most affordable daycare center that’s also close to your home or work. But, most importantly, you want to choose a daycare center that you can trust to care for your child. In today’s blog post we’ll be sharing a few qualities of a great day care center. Think about them as you tour learning centers and work to find child care that fits your needs!

Here at Kids Villa Learning Center, we take the job of caring for your child seriously, and we work every single day to support every single child in their own unique developmental needs. Our motto is “where caring and learning go hand in hand” and we live that out at our three day care centers in Urbana, Germantown, and Waring Station Road. If you’d like to schedule a tour at any one of our learning centers, please contact us today! We offer child care for children aged two to school age as well as summer camps.

Licensing

First and foremost, the day care center that you choose should be licensed and accredited. Kids Villa Learning Center is proud to be accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Along with being licensed, all staff should be highly trained in child care as well as CPR and first aid. If you’d like to learn more about what MSDE accreditation entails or the qualifications of our teachers at our three learning centers, contact us today!

Adult-to-Child Ratio

When comparing day care centers, always ask how many adults there are per child. If a childcare center is overcrowded, the adults may not be able to give the children the individual attention they need and deserve. The ratio of adult to child varies depending on the age of the children in the classroom. If you’d like to learn about the size of classrooms at our learning center, please get in touch with one of our three centers in Urbana, Germantown, or Waring Station Road.

Clean, Orderly Facilities

You should always arrange a tour of the day care center before you enroll your child. While you are there, take a close look at the facilities and how they are maintained. It’s very important for a day care center to be clean and safe. If the center is overly messy or disorderly, it may not be the best choice for your family.

Caring Environment

With a day care center, your first impression really is important. You can browse online, read reviews, but there’s nothing quite like visiting the center and getting a feel for the environment. When you walk through the door of a Kids Villa Learning Center, you’ll notice how home-like it feels. We pride ourselves on creating a caring environment where children feel safe. After all, our motto is “where caring and learning go hand in hand.” When you meet and talk with day care center teachers and directors, you should also feel the warmth and care emanating from them.

Happy Children

When you schedule a tour of the day care center, try to go at a time when here are children in the center. Observe the children and see whether they are happy and engaged. Do they have a variety of activities or play areas? Do they seem responsive and comfortable with the adults in the learning center? Are they encouraged to be independent? Do you see ways in which they are learning?

When you enter a learning center, it should feel warm and comfortable. You should be able to imagine your child there, playing and interacting with the other children, sitting in circle time, exploring the outdoor space, sitting down for a snack.

Schedule

When you think about the structure of your child’s day in a childcare center, you should consider the type of schedule you’re looking for. Do you want them to have a looser schedule with a lot of time for independent play and child-led activities? Or would you prefer a more school-like environment? Whatever day care you choose, it should fit your needs.

Kids Villa Learning Center

Along with full-day childcare, we also offer before and after-school programming for school-age children. If you’re looking for a safe, supportive, and nurturing space for your child, contact our day care center today! We also offer summer programming for year-round childcare services!

Schedule a tour at one of our three daycare center locations: