Things To Consider While Choosing An Early Learning Service For Your Child

As a parent, you are responsible for choosing the best possible early learning service for your child. This can be a daunting task. The internet and various marketing channels are full of information about different types of early childcare services and programs. Still, there must often be a straightforward way to differentiate between them. If you are looking for an excellent early learning service like Busy Bees Early Learning, for your child, here are some tips that may help:

Choose a service that follows health and safety guidelines.

Health and safety are huge factors when choosing an early learning service. It’s essential that the service you choose follows all the necessary guidelines and has been audited by government officials to ensure they are up-to-date with all health and safety aspects.

Here is a checklist of things you should look at:

• Is the service registered with the local government?
• Does it have current annual compliance certificates for each area of its operation (food handling, cleaning chemicals, etc.)?
• Does it have current policies relating to staff training and employment conditions?
• Does it have a current child protection policy?
• Does it have a current emergency management plan (including evacuation routes)?

Choose a service where your child will be active.

Childcare services should provide a balance of indoor and outdoor activities. Outdoor play is important for children’s physical health and development. It allows them to interact with other children in a natural setting, which is essential for social development. Additionally, the more time a child spends outdoors, the more likely they will engage in active play that can help improve their gross motor skills.

Find out about the staff’s qualifications.

Knowing that your child’s early learning service employs qualified staff is essential. Ask the centre what training and education its staff members have completed. You can also ask if there is a list of courses they have attended in the last 12 months. This information should be readily available from the centre or on their website.

Learn out about the service’s inclusion policy.

• Rather than being separated from their classmates, inclusion means including children with special needs in their regular classrooms and activities. Children with special needs may have a disability or condition that affects learning or might be new to a country with a different language and cultural expectations.
• Why is inclusion important? It helps all kids learn better. The younger a child starts learning English, the stronger their grasp on it will be as they get older—and vice versa!
• How does inclusion affect your child’s learning? Including them in class at an early age, you’re helping your child develop social skills like sharing toys and playing nicely with others—skills that will help them navigate school years later down the road.
• How does inclusion affect the staff’s teaching? Teachers need the training to understand how kids with special needs learn best (some might need repetition; others might struggle when there’s too much sensory stimulation).

Should be culturally inclusive service.

As a parent, you will want to choose an early learning service that is culturally inclusive.

Children are exposed to many different cultures and languages daily, but what happens when they go home? They need to be able to see those same experiences reflected in their own homes.

One way of checking whether an early learning centre has been able to include cultural diversity in its practices is by asking them what activities they do with children who speak other languages during the day (for example, storytelling) and if there are any materials available in different languages on site. If there isn’t anything like this currently happening at your chosen centre, but it sounds like something that would benefit your family, then talk with management about ways you could work together!

Research the curriculum framework.

Look at the curriculum framework being used by the child care service and how it reflects your family and community values. The curriculum framework is a set of core principles that outlines how educators will teach children at an early learning service. It’s essential to look at this document because it will give you insights into how the educators plan on teaching your child and their philosophy on education in general. You’ll want to ensure that you and your community are comfortable with the principles outlined in this document before enrolling your child in an early learning service.

What is Child Care Subsidy (CCS), and how to calculate it?

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a payment made by the Government of Australia to help you with your child care expenses. It can be used as payment for full-time or part-time childcare services and will be calculated based on your income and family size. You must meet certain eligibility criteria to receive the subsidies, so read through the eligibility criteria beforehand! You can even calculate how much your family could claim from the CCS with the help of a CCS calculator. It is extremely easy to use; all you need to do is fill in the required details such as name, location, number of children, age, family income, etc.

Conclusion

When choosing an early learning service for your child, there are many things to consider. The best way to determine which suits you and your family are by considering all the above mentioned factors.