QUALITY LICENSING INFORMATION    The state of Colorado licenses child care facilities to reduce risks and make sure each facility is complying with basic health and safety standards. This license does not guarantee quality but does make sure the provider has met specific requirements, including staff training and background checks. All licensed child care programs must make the following information available at your request:   Current License (3 types)   Permanent: most common; on-going license Provisional: issued to new facilities if a minor licensing issue exists Probationary: Issued when a serious compliance issue exists that could compromise a child’s health or safety Last inspection date and findings   Those facilities at a higher risk and needing the most attention may be visited every six months or more, while those with a history of complying with the set standards may be visited only once every three years The maximum number of children assigned to each room or home The adult-to-child ratio for each room or home   Provider Files   To make an informed decision, you are encouraged to obtain information from the state Division of Child Care or ask your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency for assistance in obtaining and interpreting provider files. You can review these documents in person, by e-mail, fax, or regular mail. To review in person call the Division of Child Care at least 72 hours in advance to make an appointment.   To review by e-mail, fax, or mail, you will need to have the name of the program, address, phone number, or license number, and you will be required to provide your name and phone number.

WHY QUALITY MATTERS   Your child’s early years are very important. That is why, as a parent, you must demand the best care for them.   Research indicates that 85% of a person's intellectual, emotional and cognitive ability is formed by the age of five, making the early years a vitally important time in a child's life. From birth to kindergarten, children are like sponges. Studies have shown that children who receive high-quality care:   Demonstrate greater social skills throughout their education Excel in reading and math Have higher school attendance records Are more motivated to learn and have a higher commitment to school Exhibit a lower rate of unemployment Have the potential to have higher earnings over their lifetime Are more likely to graduate from high school and pursue a post-secondary education or training A child's earliest teachers must love, respect, and nurture them. Selecting a provider who connects with young children emotionally is critical. It's very important that a family select a provider who reads to him or her every day, encourages curiosity, and also allows him or her to explore the world.   Colorado's youngest children deserve high-quality childcare that is safe, enriching, and educational. Parents often feel alone in selecting childcare. The Childcare Provider Questionnaire takes some of the guesswork out of that decision. Though the information should not be used as a substitute for seeking licensing information, visiting the program and obtaining recommendations from family and friends. The use of this tool can be critical during your selection process.   OBSERVE Observation is the single most important guide when choosing an early learning childcare program. Narrow your list to 3-5 providers. Visit each facility or home. Meet with the providers or center directors, and tour the facilities.

OBSERVATION CHECKLIST   Environmental Basics   The room is warm and inviting The children are happy and involved The furniture is child-sized and the materials are at the children’s level All materials in the room are age appropriate for the children There is enough equipment and supplies in the room so that children can either play alone or share Providers are with the children, and within eyesight of them at all times, instead of always at their desk The community’s diversity and culture is reflected in the room and group of children   Health and Safety   Equipment is in good repair Electrical outlets are covered Facility is clean and free of litter The program’s emergency route is posted Emergency phone numbers are posted near every phone and in every room The doors are locked and visitors are required to sign in All toys are clean and in good condition The playground has safe surfaces and is fenced in. There are both sunny and shaded areas   Daily Activities   Nutritious meals and snacks are provided to children Nap and story time are built into the day Both structured and unstructured art, science, and language activities are available Children are exposed to music Puzzles, blocks, and a make-believe station are provided Children have a time during the day to choose their own activities Activities are varied and include both outdoor playtime and an indoor quiet time A schedule of activities is posted and available for you to review "Working Your Way Through The Childcare Maze" is a complete and comprehensive report to help separate child care providers   To obtain provider files contact: Division of Child Care Colorado Department of Human Services 1575 Sherman Street, 1st Floor Denver, CO 80203 Phone: (303) 866-5958 or 1-(800) 799-5876

You’ve looked long and hard to find good childcare and now you feel you can finally relax. Don’t! You are placing your trust with people with whom you barely know and you are expecting them to give your child the best education and care possible.   Finding the right childcare is one of the toughest tasks you as a parent faces, and once you are happy with the home or center, it is very easy to let your guard down. The fact is that the majority of the approximately 2,000 licensed centers in Colorado (including both home-and center-based) are doing a good job of caring for young children, but even the best slip up occasionally.   So how do you ensure that your “really great childcare” hasn’t slipped into the ranks of the just "OK"? It requires constant parental vigilance and ongoing awareness. Remember! You must feel comfortable with the center and staff. The following troubleshooting list is a good place to start. Here are the top ten childcare issues:   1.The staff-to-child ratio changes and you are the last to know.   When Tracy dropped off her one-year-old son on his first day at a home childcare center, she was delighted to find two staff members cuddling and caring for six children. A few weeks later, however, that small group had grown to twelve without any new staff being hired.   Colorado state law mandates the maximum number of children allowed per staff member according to age. When visiting a childcare center, be sure to ask what the ratio is for his or her particular age group.

2. The teachers aren’t as qualified as you were told.   When Marie started with her neighborhood caregiver, her one-year-old daughter was cared for by a qualified woman. In recent months, however, Marie has found her toddler in the care of an untrained assistant. Each age group must have one group leader, based on education and/or experience. This person may be assisted by a trained aide.   The state requires background checks, CPR, first aid and physicals for all child care personnel.   3. The food isn’t as nutritious as advertised.   Lisa enrolled her six-month old twins at a licensed childcare center sponsored by her Denver accounting firm, but only after inquiring about the nutritional content of meals and snacks.   According to state regulations, licensed childcare centers are required to feed children balanced mid-day meals and nutritious snacks. Menus for each week must be posted for parents to see.   It is important to visit the kitchen to check for cleanliness when you are touring the facility. Keep in mind that health inspections are rare.

4. You arrive after the closing time and you are charged a late fee.   Be sure to ask what the policy is regarding late fees before enrollment. Most centers close promptly at the designated time and late charges start immediately.   5. You’re promised daily outdoor time –“ weather permitting”- and you find that the weather never permits.    “First it was too rainy, and then it was too cold. My son rarely seemed to see the light of day,” says Monica.. There always was an excuse.   Weather permitting, children should have daily outdoor time. In the summer, check to be sure that sunscreen is being applied before going outside or to the swimming pool.

6. The television is on too much.   Trudy’s eighteen-month old son was happy to attend a home-based childcare center, but much of his contentment was due to a television that was on more than it was off. “I was told that morning cartoons and the occasional rainy day movies were the extent of the TV watching,” she says, “but my son started asking for programs that I knew nothing about. When I investigated, I found that there were more ‘ rainy day’ occasions than I was comfortable with.”   Television can be used as a good change of pace when children return from swimming or other outdoor activities and need to relax, or when a parent brings in a special movie to share with the group. If it is constant, then you must be concerned.   7. The disciplinary techniques alarm you.   It is every parent’s worst nightmare. You are at work and you fear that your son or daughter is being yelled at or forced to sit in a corner.   Jennifer entrusted her three children to a neighbor with a home-based childcare center. She later learned that the caregiver forced them to eat everything on their plates or they would not get dessert. This strict authoritarian style was not how Jennifer had wanted her kids to be handled.   Parents should ask what discipline policies are used, whether it is Time-Out or a Redirect method. Children who are used to being yelled at when they are at home, often do not respond to a teacher’s quiet voice, so a Time-Out may be used at the center.   8. The childcare center does not communicate with you, so you have no idea how your son or daughter is progressing.   When Ashley registered her one-year old daughter with a public childcare center in her community, she expected information as to how she spent her day, but Ashley was disappointed by the lack of communication. Parents should always feel free to ask for a conference or at least take the time to chat with the teacher about how he or she is responding to group situations.

9. Learning is not as primary as you thought.   When Wendy registered her four-year-old child in a center, she was told that education was a part of the daily routine. “I was horrified to learn that ‘education’ meant role-playing as cats and dogs, including chasing up trees and ‘marking’ their territory. I had placed my child in an educator’s hands to nurture and advance my child to be prepared for school and to have an edge on the learning process.”   Developing social skills by learning to play with other children is an important part of pre-school along with learning the ABC’s. Children should be read to daily and be taught finger-plays and rhymes.   10. Your child care center isn’t as inclusive as you had hoped it would be.   You’re a single parent and your child is only read books depicting so-called traditional families. Or, perhaps, your child has dark skin and the only dolls in the child care are fair-skinned. Culturally, religiously and racially diverse children populate most child cares. While it may be unreasonable to expect caregivers to cater to each child individually, parents do have the right to expect sensitivity. Reading inclusive books and offering diverse dolls and dress-up clothes is a primary step in raising respectful, broad-minded children. All children are helped to develop self-esteem by feeling included and having the right to be heard and acknowledged.   Note: We hope that the above “Ten Things Your Child Care Provider May Not Tell You” will be helpful in your selection of a quality center.