Tips to Choose a Daycare Center

Entrusting your child to a stranger is probably one of the most difficult decisions a parent has to make, so you, as the parent, want to get it right. But with so many choices in Hoboken, how do you choose?

Step by Step School is a daycare center and a preschool in Hoboken that offers care for infants through age five, as well as after school care for children up to age 12. Our mission is to help instill a love of learning in your child that helps promote developmental growth and social awareness. Below, we’ll take a look at some tips to help you choose the right daycare center for your child. Contact us to learn more today!

TIPS TO CHOOSE A DAYCARE CENTER

Referrals

Truly the best way to choose a daycare center and preschool is by taking into account recommendations from your friends, family, and co-workers. They will be able to tell you the nitty-gritty details you’ll only know if your child attends the daycare center. They can tell you what a typical day looks like, how the communication is between parents and staff, and, most importantly, if their child is happy there. They will also be able to tell you if anything borderline inappropriate took place. Your friends, family, and co-workers can probably answer most of your questions, and can offer you peace of mind when narrowing down your daycare selection and deciding whom to trust your precious child to.

School Program and Curriculum

From the moment your baby is born, the learning that takes place is astounding. Your child is absorbing every piece of sensory information around them, from your speech to all the sights and sounds around them. Thus, it’s important to have a daycare center that offers a great age-appropriate learning environment for your child. When debating daycare centers, be sure to find out what curriculum they are using and how it’s integrated into your child’s day. Here at Step by Step in Hoboken, we use Handwriting Without Tears Curriculum, basic sign language, nursery rhymes, art, music, and storytime. We also incorporate social time and physical play with activities such as yoga and plenty of outdoor time when the weather is nice.

School Environment

You truly can’t pick a daycare center without visiting it ahead of time. This will allow you to see the physical space your child will be in every day. You’ll want to see if there are educational books and toys around, if there are activity centers set up for the children to make crafts and learn, and if there are comfortable sitting areas. Spend some time, and don’t rush the visit. You’ll want to note the details, and meet the teachers. Here is your chance to listen to your gut. If something seems off, don’t dismiss it.

Teacher/Student Ratios and Interactions

The staff will probably be your biggest deciding factor. After all, these are the people who will be influencing your child every hour they are at the daycare center. Thus, you’ll want to find out how many teachers there are per student so that your child’s needs can be attended to in a timely fashion. You’ll also want to observe interactions with teachers and students by looking for positive interactions and generally happy children. You’ll want to observe body language and listen for the words the teachers use with their students. Here at Step by Step School, we keep our teacher/student ratios extremely low so that we can have a more meaningful impact on your child each and every day.

Safety

Most of us have heard of a daycare horror story where a child was injured or worse at a daycare center. You’ll want to ask your potential daycare centers and preschools about their safety record, as well as their safety procedures, especially with regards to strangers. You’ll want to ensure they have a strict pickup policy so no one unauthorized can walk away with your child. Be sure they secure their doors and windows during the day and that your child will be under a watchful eye the entire time they are in their care. In these post-pandemic times, you’ll also want to ask about their policy for cleanliness in order to keep your child safe from infectious diseases.

Step by Step School in Hoboken takes your child’s safety very seriously. We have biometric fingerprint scanners for all guardians to use when they enter our daycare center. All of our staff undergo emergency training, including training for an intruder. We have video cameras to monitor all classrooms and common areas. All of the bathroom doors remain propped open during the day. Plus, all classrooms have dual entry and exits. We ensure your child is as safe as possible at our daycare center.

CHOOSE STEP BY STEP SCHOOL IN HOBOKEN FOR YOUR DAYCARE CENTER NEEDS

What sets Step by Step School in Hoboken apart from other daycare centers is our staff. We carefully screen our teachers who have to not only pass a background check, but also have to meet our rigorous educational and experience requirements in order to teach here. Our state-of-the-art facility allows our amazing staff to care for your child in every way: educational, physical, and mental. Our mission is to help bring out the potential of your child with great life lessons every day. If you are interested in enrolling your child in our daycare center, call for a free tour today!