From transparency to inclusivity: 3 green flags to look out for when finding a new childcare.

I began my search for the right childcare centre when my daughter was two years old. It stands as one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make on her behalf. 

I’d greatly underestimated the courage I’d need to entrust her care to someone else, the guilt I would feel, and the amount of research that would go into the process.  

Eva was roughly sixteen months old when fear, in her world, was suddenly tangible; it lived in the topmost shelf of the pantry, and would move to the kitchen bench when we blended smoothies in our house. 

‘Korktu!’ A new word she yelled. Scared. I’d heard her over the blitzing machine, and turned to see her tiny hands gripping the corner of the wall she was hiding behind, the tips of her nails pale. 

Image: Supplied.

Time had swiftly replaced my babbling baby with a tiny toddler who’d figured out how to communicate this emotion to me with words rather than tantrums, and I realised the speed at which life was being hurled at her. 

The days that ‘fear’ was no longer something I could simply turn off and keep out of her reach and sight were not so far away. Although this weighed on my heart, I’d felt relieved that she’d learnt how to voice herself earlier than the girl with the twirled ponytail. 

I needed a childcare that would nurture her need to find her voice and give her the space to have her say no matter how big the conversation. Centres, just like KU Children’s Services, cultivate a sense of self and curiosity imperative to the healthy development of children’s social skills, all in a safe, calm and inclusive community. 

At the time, my lengthy search ensued to find the right fit for Eva, and for our family. 

Along the way, there were three green flags I learnt to recognise in finding the perfect childcare for us. 

The educators are engaged with the children (and each other). 

In my years of working in the travel industry, a manager had once asked me to step out of the store with him. We sat on the bench in front of the glass doors and just as I tried to understand what he was after, he told me to look back inside and survey my colleagues. I watched them for a little while before he said, “would you walk inside to give this store your business if this is what you saw?” 

Years later, with a lot more than ‘my business’ at stake, I found this question at the forefront of my mind every time I stepped into a childcare centre. It’s a given that we don't grin at all times of every day. But what really makes or breaks the atmosphere of a childcare centre is the energy, engagement and approach of the educators. 

It's true that the early years of education build the foundation for a love of lifelong learning.

I once visited a childcare that hadn’t had a single staff member leave for well over a decade. They greeted my daughter and I with joy, each had a spring to their step, and they were confident in their knowledge of every child’s temperament. 

What impressed me most, however, was that the latest addition to their team was an educator who had attended that centre as a child herself. During my tour of the place, the Centre Director told me this particular educator had always told her that she wanted to become a teacher when she grew up. This, in my opinion, is the epitome of exactly how the right childcare can nurture your little one’s unique interests and strengths. 

So take time to observe, and note any interactions you see between the educators and the children, as well as between the team of educators. Even feel free to ask questions like:

• How are new children made to feel supported and welcomed?
• How does the team encourage each child’s learning and development?
• What skills and experience do the staff have?
• From your perspective, what makes this centre a special place?

The centre is transparent.

One thing I wasn’t prepared for was the lack of vacancies in childcares near my home, and their lengthy waiting lists. 

My personal preference was also to look for a centre that was rated as ‘Exceeding’ on the National Quality Standards (NQS). I learnt all approved education and care services across Australia are assessed according to the NQS, and rated by their state and territory regulatory authority.

(The 2020 average results were 30 per cent exceeding, so quite impressed to see KU Children’s Services' NQS results last year were 86 per cent!)

In time, I learnt how to ask the right questions to confirm my observations or first impressions, and to give each centre I was touring a chance to showcase themselves, and approach all conversations with transparency. 

If a childcare centre is able to respond to your concerns and queries, and are happy to discuss (in detail) which areas they're improving (and the measures they have in place to achieve this!), consider this a green flag. You can also check out more of their reviews and ratings, evidenced by both parent feedback like their Net Promoter Score and Customer Experience ratings, as well as their individual assessment under the NQS.

Also, a key thing I've come to learn in my own search: having a centre provide families access and insights into their child’s day is absolutely essential. Families should absolutely expect to be able to share in insights in their child’s day and development; it's not just a 'bonus'. if teachers or educators aren't able to articulate how they can offer you this, then I'd be putting them in the 'steer clear' bucket.

Many centres, such as KU, achieve this by using apps or online platforms where families, even extended family members who live a long way away, can engage with their child’s learning through notes, photos and videos.

These questions to encourage transparency come to mind:

• What is the ratio of staff to children?
• What are the centre's values on diversity and inclusion? Or relationship building, leadership or empowerment? 
• Are there centre activities for the children where sustainability is a focus?

The centre embraces unique needs, diversity and inclusivity.

Throughout my search for a childcare, I raised conversations around Eva’s dietary preferences, my observations of her strengths and areas for development, and enquired about what the centre’s response would be to her temperament when it came to her adjustment period. 

Image: Supplied.

Any responses that may have hesitations or enthusiasm in them, I knew, would help me find more green flags. But one thing that a few childcare personnel did became an absolute game changer in my criteria: their genuine interest in us. 

Sure, it’s important that educators are able to answer a parents' long list of questions with clarity and reassurance about your child’s specific needs, but it’s something special when they take enough care to ask you their own questions too. 

This is a big green flag for me, and helps demonstrate to me, as a first-time parent, the centre's willingness to recognise each child’s unique interests and pace. I love when a centre can be proactive in thinking of ways in which they can accommodate your little ones. 

Rosanne Pugh, Director and Educational Leader of KU Ourimbah Preschool and Children’s Centre, told Mamamia that building relationships with new children starts with feeling supported and welcomed from the outset.

“Every child has their own personal story and experience. Welcoming new children means being receptive to how they want to share this with you. Children's transfer of trust from home to educators is made when we show them we are worthy of being trusted; through gentleness, kindness, conversation, patience, calm and through playfulness. 

"A new child, given this welcome, will build a relationship quickly and enthusiastically. It really is a matter of the heartfelt professionalism, with predictable positive outcomes for everyone – family, educator and child.”

During a particular visit of my own to a centre, upon a brief comment I’d made about Eva’s dietary requirements, the Centre Director not only promptly gave me a comprehensive print-out of that month’s menu, but it kicked off a comprehensive conversation about how they work to make every single child feel at home. 

“We have a family recipe book,” she’d said, pointing to a thick folder atop a chest of drawers. “There are recipes in there that the parents of our children gave us and years later, we’re still making those foods here. What’s Eva’s favourite dish?” 

This was just one demonstration we came across where the centre was embracing different cultures and celebrating inclusivity through food.

If you're looking for green flags of your own when choosing a childcare centre, some thought starters you could ask on this topic could be:

• Are there ways the centre celebrates different cultures, perhaps through food, toys or storytelling?
• How are children supported to be their own unique selves?

Image: Supplied.

As all parents would know, our child’s educational journey starts long before their first year at big school. So, a childcare that provides a rich tapestry of educationally interactive experiences is at the top of the to-find list, and helps prepare for this important transition from childcare and preschool to primary school.

I knew I'd found the right childcare fit for our family when my daughter’s inquisitiveness was met with warmth. Her curiosity was fostered into teachable moments, and she was supported to be a part of the conversation. When I heard the soft click of the safety gate closing behind me the first afternoon, I knew I’d come to the right place. 

So will you. 

What green flags did you look out for when choosing a childcare? Share your green flags in the comments below.

Image: Supplied/Mamamia.