child care center licensing

One important thing to ask the child care centers you choose to visit is about their certificate of compliance from the Department of Public Welfare. This is the center's license to operate. The center is usually inspected on a yearly basis. The inspection consists of many areas including the program and curriculum, equipment, physical site, child records, staff records, nutrition, health and safety and other general requirements. The certificate of compliance is issued for a 12 month period. The center is subject to announced and unannounced inspections in accordance with the regulations. The Department of day care licensing has the right to deny, revoke or issue a provisional certificate of compliance to a center that is not meeting the standards. It is important to ask the center the standing of their current certificate of compliance and also ask what their past inspections have been. The center should have a copy of the regulations, the current certificate of compliance and the the most recent inspection summary in an accessible location to all parents. You can find out more information at http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/

What does it mean when a child care center is NAEYC accredited? The center voluntarily applies for accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. The program then performs a self study to determine how well they meet the academy's criteria. After the center has made needed improvements and feels they are ready they schedule a visit. Trained validators come to the center and perform an on site visit. The results are reviewed by a commission of experts in child care and early childhood education. If the center satisfies the criteria they are granted accreditation for 3 years. The accreditation process focuses on the total program with its greatest emphasis placed on the quality of interactions among staff and children and the developmental appropriateness of the curriculum. NAEYC programs have demonstrated a commitment to providing a high quality program for young children and their families. To find out more information you can visit http://www.naeyc.org/

What is my child learning?

Your child learns many things through play:
> social and emotional development
> Intellectual Development
> Physical Development

When children learn through experiences with manipulative's they work cooperatively in small groups, sort and match objects, develop fine motor skills and develop eye-hand coordination. When they learn through experiences with music they express moods, emotions and feelings, explore cause and effect and improve balance, coordination and rhythm. When children learn through experiences with language they develop awareness about relationships, increase vocabulary and understand sequence. When they learn through experiences with art they assert individuality, share and cooperate with others and develop planning skills. These are just some of the things your child will experience on a daily basis when attending a center.

What is Keystone Stars

Keystone Stars is Pennsylvania's continuous quality improvement system for early care and education and after school programing. It is based on four STAR levels. Each STAR level designation has its own research-based performance standards. These standards measure four major areas that make a difference in the quality of care children receive:
1. Director/staff qualifications and professional development
2. The early learning program
3. Partnerships with families and the community
4. Leadership and management

You can check out http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/Child/ChildCare/KeyStoneStarChildCare/

Things to look for on your visit to the childcare center

I encourage all inquiring parents to visit as many centers as they can. You need to find the best care for your child. This is a list of things you should look for when visiting:

1. Caring Staff
2. Safety
3. Cleanliness
4. Security

These are not listed in any order and are all equally important!

I have attached a link for you to check out under child care checklist.

Welcome! This is a site that can be used as a resource for parents who are looking into child care or currently enrolled at a child care center. I have been a director of a daycare for almost 5 years and prior to that I worked as a teacher. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the industry. I am here to help you make a very difficult decision a little easier.