Introduction
Early childhood education is one of the vital stages in a child’s development. This program lays the foundation for developing literacy skills necessary for social and emotional growth that prepares children for the ensuring stages in life. It is, therefore, necessary to deliver quality care to the children for the program to be impactful (Essa & Burnham, 2019). Daycare facilities have been essential in equipping children with early childhood knowledge by providing a conducive environment for the caregiver to interact with the children and guide them. Besides, daycare facilities enable children to socialize with their peers for psychological and physical development. As a caregiver, Linda must consider several factors necessary for operating a daycare facility effectively. This paper analyzes the essential elements for establishing and managing a daycare facility.
Daycare Facility Management
Firstly, establishing a successful daycare requires finding the purpose of venturing into the daycare service delivery. This step is essential in developing the mission and vision statements for the facility that will outline the values and principles it associates with and facilitates its growth in the future (Essa & Burnham, 2019). Linda has a significant background of love and passion for caring for children during their early childhood. She should use her passion and love for children to develop principles and virtues that she would live to impact her students. However, it is significant to align the morals and ethics defining her facility with the faith of the area she is establishing the facility (Essa & Burnham, 2019). Associating moral principles with the spiritual beliefs of the area is essential in eliminating conflict of interest between the daycare facility and the society, which may taint the facility’s reputation by attracting negative perceptions from the public.
Secondly, Linda should consider the environment where she is planning to establish the daycare facility. The environment must be ideal for children to thrive both emotionally and physically. According to study children who are taught in a conducive environment tend to be active and more engaged in the learning activity (Essa & Burnham, 2019). An effective environment must provide the children with the five senses’ features and enable them to develop an open mindset that promotes creativity and critical thinking. Security is one of the vital elements that defines a conducive learning environment. Linda must ensure that the environment is secure and makes children feel safe. Security gives the children and staff a sense of emotional calmness and reduces the fear of the unknown, which may provoke stress and affect the children’s learning ability (Essa & Burnham, 2019). Besides, the environment should generally be free from noise such as traffic or industrial machines, which may distract the children from their learning experiences, as well as from hazards as broken glass, construction equipment and holes (California Code of Regulations, 2022). The learning environment is categorized into two major segments: outdoor and indoor environments.
The outdoor environment offers children extensive space for playing and engaging in other physical activities. Additionally, the outdoor learning environment enables the children to interact with nature and familiarize themselves with the natural features (Richardson & Mishra, 2018). Linda should therefore ensure that she has enough outdoor space to provide the children with ample playing areas for physical activities and interactions. Furthermore, the area should contain various natural elements such as trees, water, plants, and flowers to expose the children to the environment’s diversity and enable them to explore and discover the environment. The open environment allows children to associate the new features in the environment with past experiences, thus creating new opportunities for the development of the brain.
The indoor environment is equally significant for developing learning experiences for children. This environment should have enough space to allow children to move from one place to another freely and engage in physical activities (Richardson & Mishra, 2018). Children in early childhood tend to acquire most of the knowledge practically by engaging in different physical activities. Linda must divide the rooms into different segments ideal for group discussions, individual learning, and social interaction. These rooms should have toys and the necessary resources to facilitate learning. Additionally, Linda should decorate the classrooms with vibrant colors and ensure enough ventilation and a lighting system. Bright colors influence the children’s moods by making them more active while in class (Richardson & Mishra, 2018). Children tend to associate different colors with other features they may have encountered, thus facilitating learning.
Thirdly, Linda needs to ensure that the resources in her childcare center meet the general requirements outlined by authorities to make her center eligible for operations. Some of the general requirements for licensing include having a hygienic and safer environment for the employees’ wellbeing and safety (Slot, 2018). Moreover, all outdoor and indoor stairways and pavements, including ramps, should be safe for children. Additionally, the outdoor space per child should be at least 75 feet square (Slot, 2018). This space should be easily and safely accessible and fenced at least four feet high. The indoor space should be at least 35 square feet per child. The floor of this area should be maintained clean and safe for children’s activities. The classroom temperature should be maintained at a minimum of 68 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 85 degrees Celsius (Slot, 2018). Conducive temperatures make children comfortable and alert when learning.
Fourthly, after creating an effective learning environment that meets the necessary standards, Linda should develop a curriculum to provide an adequate learning experience for the children. An effective curriculum promotes indoor and outdoor learning activities that equip the children with the knowledge for physical and psychological development and prepare them for school activities. The curriculum to be implemented in a daycare center depends on various factors, including the beliefs and values of the teacher and the cultural beliefs of the area in which the daycare is situated. In this case, Linda should consider the faith of the area where she plans to locate her daycare and integrate the values of that faith into the curriculum. The curriculum should be child-centered where the tutor focuses on the abilities of the child and monitor their abilities.
An effective curriculum should contain the following early childhood concepts; the calendar, including information on days, weeks, months, meteorological seasons consisting of summer, winter, spring, and fall, and behaviors such as using the bathroom properly. Other concepts include knowledge of colors, how to color objects, how to cut, painting and drawing, gluing, knowledge of nature, etiquette, numbers, shapes, letters, weather, physical activities such as running, and jumping, among other activities (McIlwain, 2020). Linda needs to have a rubric that she will be using to assess the children’s progress in understanding these concepts. The children’s progress can be evaluated by assigning them various duties and monitoring how they execute the duties. These children can also be given homework such as drawing an object, painting, or writing letters to reinforce their understanding of the curriculum.
Fifthly, Linda needs to qualified employ other staff to assist her in running the daycare facility. There are various qualities that Linda must consider when hiring staff for the daycare. Firstly, the potential staff should know about early childhood and other fields such as teaching and psychology to enable them to understand children’s behavior and their learning process (Schleicher, 2019). Secondly, the staff must have effective communication skills to adequately engage with the children and explain concepts accurately (Schleicher, 2019). Communication skills enable the caregivers to gain confidence when relating with the parents and other staff. Thirdly, the staff must be social and have a sense of humor to make children enjoy their lessons and feel comfortable interacting with their tutors. The recommended student-tutor ratio for a daycare facility is 16:1 (Schleicher, 2019). Therefore, for a staff of three tutors, Linda should start her daycare with an average of 50 children.
Once the facility is complete, Linda should obtain the operation license from the relevant authorities. Firstly, she should attend orientation at the Child Care Licensing Office (Chartini et al., 2019). Secondly, she needs to submit the necessary architectural plans for the authorities to confirm that the facility has met the requirements. Additionally, Linda should submit a health and fire standards inspection request (Chartini et al., 2019). The relevant departments will inspect the facility for First Aid/CPR licensing, and conduct medical and health assessment for the caregivers to ensure that the staff is capable of handling children.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a daycare facility must ensure that it meets the necessary standards to effectively offer services to the children. Linda should ensure that the learning environment meets the licensing requirements and is conducive to learning. Additionally, she should ensure that the curriculum conforms to the beliefs of the faith being practiced in the area where her daycare is situated. The number of students should meet the recommended student-tutor ratio. Lastly, she should hire qualified staff who have the behavioral qualities of caring for the children.
References
California Code of Regulations. (2022). Barclays Official California Code of Regulations. Web.
Chartini, C., Pusaka, S., & Darmansah, D. (2019). Operational business planning: Bunnies after school program and daycare. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic, 3(3), 38-43.
Essa, E. L., & Burnham, M. M. (2019). Introduction to early childhood education. Sage Publications.
McIlwain, K. L. (2020). Early childhood intervention programs. Literature Review of Northern Illinois University.
Richardson, C., & Mishra, P. (2018). Learning environments that support student creativity. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 27, 45-54.
Schleicher, A. (2019). Policies for early learning: Work organisation and staff qualifications. Journal of iLibrary, 21-38.
Slot, P. (2018). Structural characteristics and process quality in early childhood education and care: A literature review. Journal of iLibrary, 176, 1-65. Web.