Making an informed decision when selecting a child care centre requires you to consider several crucial factors. One such factor is the staff-to-child ratio, regardless of how many kids are there at the centre.
Why is this ratio such a big deal? Here is an outline of the top reasons why the staff-to-child ratio matters.
Quality of Care
Delivering the best quality of care just about sums up the main reason why it is crucial to maintain a small staff-to-child ratio at a child care centre. You can be sure your child will be getting a better deal in a childcare environment where the number of caregivers appropriately matches that of the kids.
If, for example, your child is a poor or fussy feeder, they may not get the kind of attention they require to feed properly if the caregiver has ten other kids to feed. If the caregivers have to do anything hurriedly, then the results may not be the best.
Safety Reasons
Kids in a child care centre require constant attention and supervision to ensure they stay safe. It is not enough to child-proof the centre since the kids can also get hurt from roughing each other.
A small staff-to-child ratio ensures that at any one point, the caregivers have their eyes on the kids and keep them away from anything that may endanger their safety, including each other.
Relationship with Caregivers
Your child will thrive even more if they enjoy a close and nurturing relationship with the caregivers. A small staff-to-child ratio allows the caretakers to spend quality time with the kids. Every day at the child care centre will be about so much more than about changing diapers, feeding and other tasks involved in running the centre.
If your child builds a relationship with the caregivers, you can be sure that they will be more excited and happier to go to the child care centre. It shouldn't be long before you say goodbye to those separation anxiety-induced tantrums during drop-offs.
Caregivers' Wellbeing
Running a child care centre is no easy task, given that kids can be quite a handful. If a caregiver has to deal with so many kids at the same time, it is easy to see how this can take a toll on them. An overworked and overwhelmed caregiver may not be able to give their best.
Looking around for a child care centre? Enquire about staff-to-child ratio, and, for the reasons highlighted, narrow down your options to those with a smaller-ratio policy.
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