HE-373, Reprinted October 1996. Recommended for Extension use by Ellen Abell, Extension Family and Child Development Specialist, Assistant Professor, Family and Child Development, Auburn University. Originally prepared by Catherine H. Foree, former Home Economist -- Family Life; revised by William H. Reid, former Family Life Specialist, and Stephen F. Duncan, former Extension Family and Child Development Specialist.

Selecting Quality Day Care

Today, more than ever, the majority of parents who have young children are working outside the home. As a result, there has been an increase in both the demand for day care and the parents' concern about its quality. Parents using day care can benefit from reliable guidelines about how to select the best substitute care.

This publication will help parents make the best possible decisions about day care for their children.

What To Look For

Group size is the single most important thing to consider in choosing quality day care. The smaller the group size, the better. Group size is different from ratio. For example, a center with 35 children and 5 teachers would have a ratio of 1 teacher to 7 children, but the group size is 35. A good ratio of children to adults (such as 5 children to 1 is no substitute for smaller group sizes. Experts recommend the following as maximum group sizes for the different age groups:

Child's Age	Maximum Number Of Children Per Group	Ratio
0 to 12 months	6 to 8	1:3 to 1:4
2 to 24 months	6 to 12	1:3 to 1:6
24 to 36 months	8 to 12	1:4 to 1:6
2 to 3 years (mixed)	10 to 14	1:5 to 1:7
3 years	14 to 16	1:7 to 1:8
4- and 5-year olds	16 to 20	1:8 to 1:10

It's also very important to find out whether a center's directors and care-givers have had specific training in child development. Children in day care centers whose directors and caregivers have specific training in early childhood education or child development seem to fare better than children in settings where directors and care-givers lack this training.

The only way to decide which day care setting is best for your child is to visit and compare several centers or homes. Dr. Marilyn Bradbard of Auburn University and Dr. Richard Endsley of the University of Georgia have developed and tested an observation checklist to help parents rate the quality of day care settings It's a rare center that will have all of the following characteristics. But, you will observe most of the items in a quality center. You'll also find many of these characteristics in day care homes.

Day Care Quality Checklist

	Center
Health And Safety Arrangements	1	2	3	4
Adults do not smoke while in the same room with children.
The center has a place for bathing children if necessary.
Floors are clean.
Floors are carpeted or have non-skid covering.
The children's eating area is clean and attractive (no leftover food or evidence of bugs).
No children are observed in the center with soiled diapers or training pants.
There is at least one adult present at all times who supervises the children.
Detergents, medicines, and dangerous drugs are kept out of reach of children in a locked cabinet or on a high shelf.
Electrical outlets are covered with safety caps.
First aid supplies (soap, bandaids, gauze, adhesive tapes, thermometer) are available.
Toys and equipment are in good repair (no sharp edges, splinters, paint chips, electrical wires, or loose parts are observed on toys and equipment).
Heavy pieces of furniture such as lockers and bookcases are secure and stable so they cannot tip over on children.
The center keeps records on each child for emergency phone numbers, medical information, teachers' observations of children's behavior, and other needed information.
Wood working tools and other sharp objects such as hammers and scissors are used only with adult supervision.
The center displays a food service permit (Department of Public Health) if meals are served.
The center displays a day care license (Department of Human Resources).
The center has a place away from other children where a sick child can be cared for until a parent makes arrangements for the sick child's care. (For example, the sick area could be a cot in the director's office or it could be a separate room.)
The center has air conditioning or windows that can be opened.
At least one adult (in the center at all times) has knowledge of first-aid procedures.
Adult-Child-Peer Interactions
Enough adults are available so that children can be given individual attention (children can be held, talked to, played with) if they need it.
Adults are observed praising children, saying, for example, "you did a good job putting away the toys."
Adults appear effective in communicating with children.
Adults do some or all of the following: Explain clearly what they want children to do. Answer questions in words children can understand Frequently kneel to a child's eye level when speaking to a child. Children appear happy, laughing, smiling, joking, involved in play around the adults.
The children seem to enjoy each other; they help each other, smile, hug, hold hands, show approval of each other's work.
The children play in groups without much fighting; hitting, pinching, kicking, grabbing toys occur infrequently during your observation.
Male adults are employed by the day care center.
Adults appear warm and affectionate toward children; children are hugged, smiled at, cuddled, spoken to pleasantly by adults.
Adults use a child's first name or nickname, not referring to children by unpleasant names.
Adults eat with children and talk with them in a relaxed way during snack and mealtimes.
Adults are not observed spanking, pinching, shaking, or otherwise physically abusing the children.
Adults encourage children to do some of the following: Get a drink of water alone. Wash their hands. Hang up their clothing. Button or snap their clothing. Put on their shoes or socks. Zip their jackets. Put away their personal possessions. Adults ask some questions of children that require more than yes or no answers.
Materials, Equipment, And Activities
Attractive and well-written story and picture books are available for the children.
Adults encourage the use of speech through some or all of the following activities: Puppetry Word Games Doll Play "Sound" Games Storytelling Show and Tell
The center has materials and equipment for quiet play such as books and puzzles, as well as riding toys and climbing structures and other items for active play.
A variety of materials and equipment are available so that a large number of children will not have to wait more than a few minutes to use them.
The children are given opportunities to run and climb both indoors and outdoors.
Adults offer more than one activity (at least at certain times during the day) so that children are free to choose what they want to do (children have a choice among such activities as stories, music, painting, puzzles, etc.).
Adults allow both boys and girls to do some of the following: Play on climbing and riding toys. Play with dress-up clothes. Play with cars and trucks. Play with tools. Play with dolls. Play in housekeeping area.
Both children and adults are involved in the process of cleaning up after activities: children help adults set up tables at meals and snacktimes, wipe up spills, fold the laundry, set up materials for play activities, etc.
The children have the opportunity to use some or all of the following creative materials: Paint. Crayons. Pencils. Paste. Clay or playdough. Sand or water. Scissors. Paper.
Three or more of the following toys are available for the children's use: Large and small riding toys. Pounding toys. Climbing toys. Large beads (for stringing). Pull toys. Stacking toys. Balance beams. Puzzles. Nested boxes. Small building toys (blocks, Tinkertoys).
Adults do some or all of the following: Read to the children. Play records for the children. Sing with the children. Point out objects of interest to the children. Talk with children clearly and distinctly. Answer questions for the children.
The outdoor play area has three or more of the following: Blocks, cartons, or boards for building. Sandbox and sandtoys. Slide. Riding toys. See-saw. Balance beam. Tires.
Children play outdoors daily as weather permits.
Home-Center Coordination
The center posts a sign encouraging parents or those involved in day care at home to visit the center at any time during the day.
The center has a bulletin board or other central location for messages to parents.
The center's director is willing to answer questions or talk about the program.
The center posts a schedule of the daily program (indoor and outdoor times, routines, activity periods, snack and mealtimes). Lunch and snacktime menus are posted (so parents will not duplicate meals at home and to show that balanced meals are being served).
Physical Space
The center has an individual space -- locker, drawer, cubbie, box, or coat hook -- for each child to store his or her belongings.
A space can be made dark and quiet to allow the children to nap (shades or curtains can be closed, and cots can be set up in a separate area).
Storage space is available for the children to return toys and equipment to shelves when they have finished using them.
Windows are low enough for children to see outside.
The center is not too hot or too cold, too dry or too humid. The temperature is maintained at approximately 68 to 70 degrees.
There is a mirror (at the child's level or full-length) in the center.
A variety of pictures, posters, or mobiles are hanging in the center.
The toilet area is easy for the children to reach.
Children can walk directly into a fenced outdoor play area from the building.
The outdoor play area has a shady place where children can play on sunny days.
The outdoor play area has a covered space where children can play on rainy days.
The outdoor play area is easy to supervise; there are no hidden areas where children can go and not be seen by adults.
The outdoor play area is well drained and covered with both a soft surface, such as sand, bark, or grass, as well as a hard surface for riding toys.
Some of the children's pictures and projects are observed in the center. The toilet fixtures are child-size, or platforms are available so that adult fixtures can be used by the children.

For Further Reading

Bredekamp, S. 1987. Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8: Extended edition. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Endsley, R. C., and M. R. Bradbard. 1981. Quality day care. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

For more information, contact your county Extension office. Visit http://www.aces.edu/counties or look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find contact information. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.