Finding a quality childcare center for your children can be a stressful experience because there is a lot of information to factor in.
We’ve compiled a list of 6 steps you can follow while you are daycare shopping to help you make the best decision for you and your family.
6 Steps To Finding a Quality Childcare Center
Learning some basic information before you begin your search can help you find the best childcare center for your family.
Understanding things like whether a childcare center or an in-home daycare would be a better option for your child, how childcare programs are licensed, and other quality standards like educational programs or curriculums can help you determine high-quality care when you see it so your children can grow, learn and thrive the best they can.
2. Do Research on Child Care Programs in Your Area
You can search for childcare centers in your neighborhood through a local Google search, a neighborhood networking site, or through your state’s online childcare search tool.
Make sure you compare at least 2 or 3 childcare options in your area to make sure you get a well-rounded selection of your local options.
3. Gather Information on These Local Centers
Review the websites of the childcare providers you are looking at and see what kind of curriculum, activities, and other enrichment programs they offer.
Other things to look at are there tuition costs, daycare size, and parent reviews. Parent reviews are a great way to find a quality childcare center, so always make sure to check out Google reviews for a childcare center.
4. Contact Each Center for a Tour 
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential childcare centers from your initial research, it’s time to call them ad set up a tour!
Make sure you have a list of questions ready to ask the daycare directors during the tour. They could be questions like, “What is your daily routine?”, “Are you licensed, registered, certified, or legally exempt?”, “Can I see any health inspection reports you have?”, “Do they have space for more children?”
5. Visit Several Centers
Taking the tour will also bring more questions to your mind that you can ask each director as well.
Getting a chance to visit a center will give you a more tangible handle on the things that are most important to you. It will also bring more things to your attention about different centers that are unique to each place. These could be their curriculum, their unique activities, and the kind of teachers they have.
6. Weigh All of Your Options Post-Research
Once you have taken all of your tours, you will have all of the information you need to weigh your options and make the best quality childcare center for your child and your family!