Choosing a crèche for your child can be tricky – follow these simple guidelines to make it easier for both you and your little one.
“If you would like to send your child to crèche at 18 months old, it’s advisable to start looking for a facility, and put your name down when your child is anywhere from 6 months to a year old,” advises Johannesburg paediatrician Dr Kim Barnard. However, some crèches accept babies from four months old, though 18 months is more the norm.
The importance of choosing a crèche close to home
When choosing a crèche, it all depends on the family’s needs, but the crèche location is also important because it ideally needs to be within close proximity to home or work. “Children get sick and parents need to attend to them,” reminds Dr Barnard, “so if you choose a good crèche but it’s a 30-minute drive away, it could be impractical in the long term.”
Make sure you’re aware of the class size of the crèche
Dr Barnard advises that when assessing a créche, ensure the class size is manageable and that the childminder and teacher ratio to kids is appropriate. “So generally in a class of 14 children, you’d have one teacher and one class minder for older age groups. In younger age groups such as 18 months, you may need a teacher and two childminders, because nappies need to be changed and bottles and food given to babies. A fair ratio would be 10-15 children with one teacher and one childminder.”
Other important factors to keep in mind when choosing a crèche
Of course, also check that crèche facilities are clean and in working condition, and the bathrooms and kitchens are hygienic. Dr Barnard adds that many crèches now have physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists to assist children. She reminds that finances are also an important consideration when choosing a crèche as “while you want the best for your child, you need to be realistic and sending them to a specific crèche shouldn’t bankrupt the family.”
How do you know when your child is crèche-ready?
Dr Barnard says that most research shows that children should be sent to crèche by the age of 3 years, for the development of their speech, language and socialisation. “However, the important thing for crèche readiness is social and emotional readiness. “Créches have an ‘ease-in’ period when you take your child for a few hours a day to see how they adjust. Some children adjust easily and some don’t cope. Then teachers may advise parents to bring their child back in two months’ time to try again so parents need to be prepared for this too, because crèche readiness is definitely dependent on the family and the individual child.”
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