Child Care Resource & Referral- Serving Will, Grundy, Kendall, and Kankakee Counties

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The following information on quality is divided into two sections - quality in the child care setting, and quality based on the age of the child. Use these quality indicators as tools to help you make the most educated decision in your choice of care for your child.

CHILD CARE SETTINGS ENVIRONMENT:
Appearance

The program should be inviting to children and parents. Everyone should feel welcome upon arrival.
Children's creations should be hung throughout the program, instead of bare walls, purchased materials, or all teacher-made materials.
The environment should be clean and safe, yet child friendly. Consider whether programs that are "too neat" allow for exploration and child focused activities.

Safety & Health

Children are supervised at all times.
Providers stay within the ratios for which they are licensed.
Meals and snacks are nutritious.
There are fire extinguishers, fire exits and smoke detectors.
Toys are cleaned everyday.
There are no sharp or removable parts on toys that could be swallowed.
Outlets are covered.
Electrical cords are out of reach.
Stairwells are gated.
Caregivers and children wash hands before and after meals and toileting.

Provider-Parent Relationships

Parent involvement is encouraged.
There is good communication between provider and parent. This allows for open communication.
Mutual respect is present between parent and provider.
Parents are greeted and welcome in the classroom/home at all times.

Play & Learning

Children should have ample time for both throughout the day.
Children should have opportunities to make choices throughout the day:
what activities they would like to do, whether or not to participate in a group activity, etc.
Toys and games are accessible to children.
There are a variety of age-appropriate activities.
Little or no television/videos are watched throughout the day.

Program Staff/Provider Qualifications

Staff has experience working with children.
There is a professional pride and commitment.
Staff has training in CPR and First Aid.
Staff recognize, and are sensitive to, cultural differences.
The program has a low turnover rate in both staffing and enrollment.
Staff allow for supervised outdoor play, weather permitting.
The program includes a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities, including physical, social, emotional, and intellectual.
They have, and are willing to sign, a written contract stating their fees, hours, expectations, etc.
There are appropriate discipline and conflict resolution techniques in place for the children.
There is a qualified assistant and/or appropriate back-up plan for when the provider is sick or away from the program.
They provide daily information about the day - what was eaten, length of nap, activities participated in, etc.
They have references available.

Program Accreditation:
Some programs complete a voluntary accreditation process as a way of showing they have met high standards of quality child care. As you contact providers you may want to ask if the family child care provider or center has been accredited by a national organization.

What is Accreditation:
Accreditation is a voluntary process that provides family child care homes, centers and school-age programs the opportunity to examine their services based on recognized standards of high quality ...read more

Age of Child Qualtiy Indicators
Infants:

Infants are stimulated through all their senses.
Infants are talked to, read to, and held on regular occasions.
Adults play games like peek-a-boo with babies.
Adults provide changes in environment and surroundings.
Infant's needs are met on demand; infants will create their own schedule.
The adults will realize that each infant will have different needs, schedules, temperaments, etc.
Stimulate learning at all developmental stages during the first year of life.

Toddlers

Offer a variety of activities.
Time schedules are flexible.
Adults provide help in self-control and praise accomplishments
Encourage language development - children are read to, asked questions and talked to throughout the day.
Adults interact with toddlers in play activities.
Individual and parallel play is encouraged. Parallel play allows the children to play alongside other children, not necessarily with them.
Lesson plan/curriculum changes weekly, but also reinforces what the children have learned.
Individual small group activities are offered, recognizing the limits of a toddler's attention span.
There is time for transition between activities.
There is space for exploration.
Differences in children's abilities are recognized.
Children are able to learn through the environment by active exploration and interaction with adults, other children and materials.

Twos, Threes, Fours, and Fives

There is time for play and learning.
Adults encourage language development = children are read to, asked questions, and talked to throughout the day.
Individual and small group activities are offered throughout the day.
Lesson plan/curriculum changes each week but reinforces what the children have already learned.
There is time for transition between activities.
A variety of learning areas and activities are offered.
The day's schedule is balanced so children do not feel rushed from activity to activity.
Limits and clear expectations are set.
Thinking and problem solving is encouraged.
Differences in children's abilities are recognized.
Safety precautions are set so children can take risks and be safe.
Adults provide help in self-control and praise accomp-lishments.
Children are able to learn through the environment by active exploration and interaction with adults, other children and materials.