1) Most important - trust your gut feeling
I always believe mothers has amazing instinct.. so trust your instinct. In this case I was blessed to have a husband who trust me in every decision regarding the kids.. coz sometimes it is unexplainable. For example I always eyes this one daycare, however it has not much review in the internet.. It does not even have proper signage either.. however I checked it was registered with JKM. So I just called and make appointment, apparently on the day I came I was not allowed to go inside coz it was mealtime for the kids. At first of course you had your own thoughts including the negative ones.. but my intuition said i made the right choice. And it didn't happen overnight... so my point is trust your motherhood instinct.
2) Registered and well equipped
Well I do think this is most important part but I really want to stress on the gut feelings hence this point falls to no 2. Make sure the daycare you choose is registered with JKM, has a good carer to kids ratio, and if possible equipped with cctv.
3) 2 weeks probation
Be extra cautious and sensitive for the first two weeks.. look out for ways of of the carers interact with the kids. Also make sure your kids are happy and feel safe when they go to and back from school. Well, small kids usually cried within this period just because they are in new surroundings and being separated with you.. but they will feel at ease gradually if things go well.
4) Either near to house, or near to office
I do believe the location of the daycare must be either near to house or near to office. Avoid choosing a place too far as it will bring trouble later (traffic jams, unexpected circumstances, sudden late meetings etc)
My kids in their year end concert (Festejo Navideno) for their daycare & preschool in Mexico
5) Communicate with the carers
Respect the carers as they are important people in your life - they take care of your child for God's sake. Pay OT as per needed and required, never delay to pay daycare fees. Communicate often and create a bonding of trust. Most of the school organize a meet up with the parents every few months which is a great avenue to learn about our kids' progress. For the preschool we attended in Mexico, they even organize a playgroup that involved the parents once a month to encourage parents' engagement with the kids' learning.. I love to see how my kids lit up whenever they see me and their daddy joining them to do activities at school.
When your kids grow older, they are more variety of preschools available. Sometimes you are lucky to get a daycare that cater from babies to 6 yo, but preschool usually starts at 4yo to 6yo. I am personally attracted to play based and Montessori methods preschool.. while we like our kids to enjoy play based school, it is natural to prep the kids to essential learning skills like reading and counting at 6 yo. so up to you to choose what do you want and like. So far my experience was all good.. I satisfied with all daycare and preschools I chose for my kids, among others are Brainybunch and Kinderkaizen to name a few.
Hope this helps!
