Family Day Care Castle Hill: What to look for in selecting a Family Day Care Service

Family Day Care Castle Hill: The importance of engaging environments in Family Day Care cannot be underestimated. The environment must reflect the services philosophy and be as evolving as the people living by it. It is a continuous work in progress with all stakeholders contributing.

To quote from Australia’s first National Early Years Learning Framework, “Learning environments are welcoming spaces when they reflect and enrich the lives and identities of children and families participating in the setting and respond to their interests and needs. Environments that support learning are vibrant and flexible spaces that are responsive to the interests and abilities of each child. They cater for different learning capacities and learning styles and invite children and families to contribute ideas, interests and questions”.

A family day care services ambience is regarded with as much importance as any other learning experience. The character of the surrounds can have a supportive quality that not only gives a child a sense of security and belonging but also welcomes exploration under its umbrella.

What do you look for environmentally when selecting a Family Day Care Service for your child?

Remember that the environment encompasses more than just the visual representation.

Collective Family Day Care Castle Hill suggests you take a holistic approach when looking for a placement:

  • How does the family day care feel when you walk in? Go with your gut instinct. If you feel uneasy then so will your child.
  • Is the entrance to the family day care welcoming? Are the existing children and families respectfully represented in the service? Can you see children’s ideas displayed or cultural considerations celebrated?
  • Is there an area in the family day care that is dedicated for the children’s belongings which gives them a sense of belonging and ownership?
  • Is the family day care secure? Did you notice if the door closed securely behind you or there were processes followed by the educator to secure the premises?
  • What can you hear? Is the service filled with laughter or quiet because children are engaged in activities they are enjoying? Maybe there is music playing or children singing or children deep in conversation?
  • Are there respectful interactions between the family day care educator and children; and amongst the children themselves?
  • What can you smell? Aroma is a powerful entity. A pleasant aroma can evoke a sense of calm, familiarity or feelings of contentment. Can you can detect natural earthy smells such as trees and flowers drifting in from the outdoors as opposed to offending chemical saturation?
  • Look around the family day care play areas. Are they respectfully setup? Can you tell the family day care educator takes pride in displaying and setting up experiences for children? For example, look for a book corner. Is there an area for children to explore the world through literacy? Notice if are the books displayed the right side up or just stacked hap hazard any which way? Are there real items for the children to interact with or just a room full of colourful plastic toys?
  • Are there opportunities for the children to engage with nature? Is there an outside family day care area where the children can explore, wonder and learn about the world around them? To be able to exercise their bodies as well as their minds? Is the area skilfully setup to challenge their abilities and encourages them to extend their own learning?

Choosing the right environment for your child can be daunting but here at Collective Family Day Care Castle Hill we will walk the walk with you. We help you to find the perfect place where your child will be safe, secure and supported and allow them to be the individual that they are.

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