Finding Quality Early Childcare

Finding Quality Early Childcareis a tool for parents to use in selecting quality childcare that best meets the needs of their family. This book reviews foundational elements of childcare, such as health and safety features, while explaining educational strategies, including styles of teaching and daily classroom activities. Finding Quality Early Childcare also covers types of specialized childcare, such as infant care and childcare for children with special needs, reviews Transitional Kindergarten, and discusses when children are ready to transition from preschool to Kindergarten.

Sarah Vanover has been working in the field of early childhood education for over sixteen years and has had the opportunity to be a classroom teacher, a director, and a trainer for other early childhood professionals. For the past several years she has focused her work and research on assessing quality early childhood programs for health and safety requirements and school readiness skills. She is the author of Finding Quality Early Childcare: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents about What Matters Most (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016).

Table of Contents
Preface
Why is it important to find quality childcare?
What are the Benefits of Selecting High Quality Childcare?
What Do I Need to Know about Childcare?
Chapter 1: License, Accreditation, and Policies
What Is Licensed Child Care?
What Does a License Require?
What is an Accreditation?
How Does a Childcare Program Become Accredited?
Early Childhood Accrediting Bodies
Center Policies
Chapter 2: Models of Learning
Child-Centered vs. Teacher-Centered
Styles of Learning
Doing Your Research
Chapter 3: Classroom Placement
Moving Children by Age Milestones
Year-long Classroom Placement
Multi-Age Classroom Placement
Additional Questions
Chapter 4: Health and Safety Standards
Ratios
Supervision
Reducing Injury
Reducing the Spread of Illness
Healthy Meals
Safe Sleep
Smoke-Free Campus
Chapter 5: Quality Early Childhood Educators
Quality Early Childhood Teachers
Quality Administrators
Teacher Turnover
Does the Program Support the Staff?
Chapter 6: Quality Curriculum & the Developmentally Appropriate Environment
Areas of Content
Quality Curriculum
Language-Rich Environment
Developmentally-Appropriate
The Classroom Environment
Chapter 7: Child Care for Children with Special Needs
Staff Experience
Support Services
Adaptations to the Environment
Adaptations to the Curriculum
Schedules
Policies
Medication and Allergies
Chapter 8: Infant Childcare
Basic Care Compared to Infant Curriculum
Safe Sleep
Feeding
Continuity of Care Compared to Rooms by Age
Language-Rich Environment
Parent Teacher Communication
Chapter 9: The Kindergarten Controversy
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?
School Readiness Skills
Kindergarten Expectations
The Recommendation of the Preschool Teacher
Transitional Kindergarten
Making the Final Decision
Appendix 1: Vocabulary
Appendix 2: Resources
Appendix 3: Questions for Touring a Childcare Facility
About the Author