Produced by:
National Resource Center for Health and Safety
in Child Care
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center at Fitzsimons
Campus Mail Stop F541, P.O. Box 6508, Aurora, CO 80045
1-800-598-5437
http://nrc.uchsc.edu
Sponsored by:
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning
and Evaluation
and
Maternal and Child Health Bureau
Health Resources and Services Administration
Obtaining a printed copy
More and more, research tells us that our children's healthy development
depends on safe and positive experiences during the first few years of
life. If you are a parent who works during these early years, choosing
good child care is one of the most important decisions you will ever make
for your child.
To help you make the right choice for your child, researchers have identified
13 research-based guidelines to think about when choosing a child care program.
You might want to visit several different child care programs, either centers
or family child care homes, before you decide which one is best for your
family. Call each child care program and schedule an appointment for
your visit. Once you are there, stay for at least an hour to watch
activities, check the surroundings, and ask questions. This form provides
a place for you to note which guidelines are met; the checklist below provides
a place where you can make notes on up to 3 different child care programs.
Research shows that if a program follows guidelines, it is more likely to
be a safe and healthy place for your child. Your state or county may
have other guidelines to help ensure health and safety in child care programs.
Considering these guidelines can help you find a place where you feel comfortable
leaving your child.
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Are children supervised at all times, even when they are sleeping?
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How do the caregivers discipline children?
Hint: Discipline should be positive, clear, consistent and
fair.
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Do all caregivers and children wash their hands often, especially before
eating and after using the bathroom and changing diapers?
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Is the place where diapers are changed clean?
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Do caregivers always keep a hand on the child while diapering?
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Do caregivers remove the soiled diaper without dirtying any surface not already
in contact with stool or urine?
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Do caregivers clean and sanitize the surface after finishing the changing
process?
Hint: Hands should be scrubbed with soap and water for at
least 10 seconds and then rinsed and dried. The water faucet should
be turned off with a paper towel.
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Does the director of a child care center have a bachelor's degree in a
child-related field?
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Has the director worked in child care for at least 2 years?
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Does the director understand what children need to grow and learn?
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Does the lead teacher in a child care center have a bachelor's degree in
a child-related field?
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Has the teacher worked in child care for at least 1 year?
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Does the teacher give children lessons and toys that are right for their
ages?
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How many children are being cared for in the child care center?
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How many caregivers are there?
Hint: Your child will get more attention if each caregiver
has fewer children to take care of. The younger the children are, the
more caregivers there should be. For example, one caregiver should
only take care of three babies.
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Is your child up-to-date on all of the required immunizations?
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Does the child care program have records proving that the other children
in care are up-to-date on all their required immunizations?
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Are toxic substances like cleaning supplies and pest killers kept away from
children?
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Has the building been checked for dangerous substances like radon, lead,
and asbestos?
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Is poison control information posted?
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Does the child care program have an emergency plan if a child is injured,
sick, or lost?
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Does the child care program have first aid kits?
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Does the child care program have information about who to contact in an
emergency?
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Does the child care program have a plan in case of a disaster like a fire,
tornado, flood, blizzard, or earthquake?
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Does the child care program do practice drills once every month?
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Can caregivers be seen by others at all times, so a child is never alone
with one caregiver?
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Have all caregivers gone through a background check?
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Have all caregivers been trained how to prevent child abuse, how to recognize
signs of child abuse, and how to report suspected child abuse?
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Does the child care program keep medication out of reach from children?
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Are the caregivers trained and the medications labeled to make sure the right
child gets the right amount of the right medication at the right time?
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Have caregivers been trained how to keep children healthy and safe from injury
and illness?
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Do they know how to do first aid and rescue breathing?
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Have they been trained to understand and meet the needs of children of different
ages?
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Is the playground inspected for safety often?
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Is the playground surrounded by a fence?
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If there is a sandbox, is it clean?
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Is the playground equipment safe, with no sharp edges, and kept in good shape?
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Are the soil and playground surfaces checked often for dangerous substances
and hazards?
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Is the equipment the right size and type for the age of the children who
use it?
If you would like more information on the research of Dr. Richard Fiene that
supports these health and safety guidelines, please check out these
websites: http://nrc.uchsc.edu and
http://aspe.hhs.gov.
A printed copy of the research paper, 13 Indicators
of Quality Child Care: Research Update, is available from
the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 200
Independence Avenue S.W., Room 450G, Hubert Humphrey Building, Washington,
DC 20201 and is available on the web at
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality-ind02.
This Parents Guide can be downloaded from the internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality-ind02/guide.pdf
or
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality-ind02/guide.htm.
For more information on choosing a safe and healthy child care setting, contact
your local child care resource and referral agency by checking
CHILD Care Aware, a national
consumer education parent hotline and web delivery system, website:
http://www.childcareaware.org
or by calling 1-800-424-2246, or the National
Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) website:
http://nccic.org or calling NCCIC at
1-800-616-2242.
Internet access is available at your public library.
To obtain a printed copy of this pamphlet, print the PDF
Version on a color printer.
[You must have the free Adobe Acrobat
Reader installed to do so.]
Where to?
Top of Page | Contents
13 Indicators of Quality Child Care: Research
Update
Home Pages:
Human Services Policy
Assistant Secretary for Planning and
Evaluation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
