Before you start caring for children, it is wise to transform your home into a place that is safe, clean, comfortable and inviting. The appearance of your center will help to draw families because parents prefer clean, appealing centers. There are a number of measures that you can take to make your center inviting. An explanation of each is described below. 

Safety

You want to feel confident that all areas the children will use–indoors and out–are safe. To check, you might want to crawl around on your hands and knees, thinking “What could a child possibly get into here? How may I possibly hurt myself?. What other problems could be caused here?” Make sure  all items children should not use are safely locked away or on high, inaccessible shelves.
precious breakables are put away.
poisonous plants are out of reach.
stairs are well-lighted and secure under foot.
chemicals, medicines and other dangerous items are stored behind safety locks.
toys are stored on shelves to avoid injury from falling lids on toy boxes.

All play materials, furniture, shelving, outdoor equipment, everything that the children come into contact with—should be checked every few days for loose parts or any safety hazard. Broken toys and missing pieces discourage play and should be fixed, put away or discarded. A doll with a missing limb could be tenderly cared for, and perhaps bandaged or fitted with a pretend artificial limb during hospital play. If beyond repair, some broken equipment can be dissected by the children to see what is inside before it is thrown away. But be extremely careful if you allow the children to dissect these parts!

Sometimes parents are willing to build and repair equipment to keep costs down. Or, a parent can be given a discounted fee for helping with these tasks. Occasionally one or more parents may be willing to build shelves, a backyard climber or a child-sized picnic table.

While garage sales are often a source of first-rate toys and equipment at bargain prices, older model cribs and other items may not meet current safety standards.

Equipment and Materials

The equipment and materials you will need depends on the ages of the children you care for. Here is a list of ideal equipment and materials for a child care center serving a wide age range of children:
child-sized tables and chairs, booster seats, high chairs and infant seats. Tables can be used for eating and for a variety of children’s activities.
individual cribs, beds, cots, with protective mattress pads covered with plastic that can be stored under the beds.
blankets and sheets for each child. If you use your family’s beds, lay the child’s bedding on top of the made-up bed.
diapering area (preferably near a faucet) that can be easily sanitized after each use.
Nearby childproof, sanitary storage for used diapers.
step stools for sink and toilet
space–to crawl, toddle, run, climb and to be alone but in view.
outdoor play space (sand, hard surface for wheeled toys, swings, climber, garden) or a nearby park. A covered porch or carport is ideal for rainy days.
art materials, such as meat trays, egg cartons, computer paper; washable surfaces for messy activities.
water and sand to scoop and pour in plastic dish pans or a larger trough or water table; old throw rugs or other absorbent floor covering.
large and small, simple and complicated toys, including building materials such as wooden and plastic blocks.
good children’s books and a quiet, cuddly place to read them. Paperback books can be covered with clean adhesive plastic to protect and strengthen them.
games, puzzles, dolls, vehicles–child powered rather than battery-powered.
make-believe props, clothes and costumes for dressing up and pretending.
record player, tape recorder and radio; number, alphabet and color charts or cards;
canister for colors, pencils and other miscellaneous art materials.
a fabric carrier for a young baby, and a backpack carrier for babies who can sit up. Many babies love swings and bouncer chairs.
for older children, a private place with props and equipment that children can rearrange as they choose. School-age children will also need a place to keep their things from school and perhaps a place to do their homework.

For suggestions on specific toys as tools for learning for different age groups, call the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) at (202) 232-8777 or 800-424-2460 or write to NAEYC, 1834 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009-5786.

Setting Up

Your center should be arranged so children can play happily with each other and by themselves, participate in a structured curriculum (if provided) and experience their growing independence–hanging up their own coats, putting dishes in the dishwasher or putting away art materials. You will supervise and often times join in their activities, or suggest ways to extend (lengthen) them or make them more interesting. Allow the children to suggest ways to make learning and playing fun and safe. Children are usually very creative and can think of things to do to make their activities fun and exciting. While you will always closely supervise their activities, you can’t be with all the children every minute. If there are interesting things for children of different ages to do, you will be able to feed a baby or prepare lunch knowing that the children are safe, busy and happy.

If you provide structured activities for the older children, have your center arranged so the younger children can play quietly without interrupting the sessions, and you can monitor their activities.

Your job will be easier if you arrange your center to simplify everyday routines. Some problems can be prevented by having selected things where the children can reach them (help themselves to toys, children’s spare clothes and water cups), and others where they can’t (house plants, TV, crayons, children’s projects). If children can take care of some of their own needs, it makes them feel independent and competent and frees you to do other things. Encourage the older children to help the younger children with simple tasks like tying shoes, buttoning or zipping their coats; it reinforces their independence, sharpens their skills and fosters friendship and learning among peers.

You do not need to spend a lot of money on toys and equipment if you set up your center creatively. Your warmth and enthusiasm will be your best asset.

Storage

Adequate storage is especially important for child care providers with limited space. Well-designed storage helps reduce clutter and increases play space. Boards and cement blocks make sturdy, inexpensive shelves for preschool and older children. Heavy cardboard cartons and wooden crates from grocery stores can also be used to build storage units. For infants and toddlers, make sure shelves are stable enough that children won’t tip them over when they use the furniture to pull themselves up to stand or walk.

It is a good idea to rotate toys and materials. Put away items the children are tired of for a few weeks. Bring them out later, and children will enjoy rediscovering them. You may want to assemble theme boxes containing all the materials you need for a specific activity, learning alphabets, numbers and colors, playing store or going on a nature walk.

Every child should have a special personal storage area, even if it is only a shoe box or an ice cream tub. Label it with the child’s name and a special symbol. Each child’s special area should be off-limits to the other children. This gives the child a feeling of belonging, and a security in knowing special things can be kept safely.

As a business person, you will need office space. An efficient way to store your administrative and financial records will save you precious time. With start-up costs, you may not have the money to purchase a file cabinet or desk when you open your center. There are, however, ways to store your business records until you can purchase a desk and file cabinet, if you don’t already have one. For example, drawers and cabinet space that you usually keep junk in can be transformed into a file cabinet where you can keep the children’s emergency cards, expense receipts and business papers. Empty shelves can also be used for storing business records.

It is a good idea to locate a secure place to keep your business records because these records will be used to file your federal and state taxes at the end of the year. If you misplace or lose a portion of your records, filing accurate taxes will be virtually impossible.

PLANNING AND STRUCTURING YOUR PROGRAM

How you structure the program for your center is another very important aspect to consider. Many child-care centers, especially those set up in the home have no real program - the children “just play” all day. The same toys are always available but never presented in any way. Planning is essential to avoid boredom and to increase learning opportunities.

Your program - what you and the children do day by day - will be the key to your professional success and pleasure. If children are bored, not only are they missing developmental opportunities, but also they have more discipline problems and are more difficult to get along with. All will be happier if you have interesting activities that you look forward to daily.

Planning and Scheduling

Some providers like to follow a daily schedule, doing the same activities at approximately the same time every day. Others like to be more spontaneous, responding to everyone’s moods and the opportunities that come along. If you like tight schedules, you may need to be more flexible because young children are spontaneous; they have their best moments without any warning. A good provider observes the children for activity ideas. Sometimes these activities require planning, sometimes they don’t. Put your planning energy into setting up a rich environment - set the stage for children to come up with their own ideas. Everyday living will provide many of the activities. Learning to put on a jacket, spreading peanut butter on a cracker, playing peek-a-boo with a baby - these are important activities of life for young children. Ideally you should have a variety of activities on hand. Keep a list of possibilities to choose from when something is needed.

Watch the children’s natural tendencies to help you plan an effective sequence for the day. If they are creative during the morning, that is a good time for learning (i.e., alphabets, numbers, art activities). If they tend to get rowdy after a snack, that is the time to go outside. If they are sleepy and cuddly after waking from their naps, reading stories might be a successful activity. If school-aged children resist structured activities when they arrive, they should be allowed free-play time.

You will need to adjust your routines as new children bring different needs and personalities to the group. Each group of children is different. You can plan activities, but make sure you flow with children’s natural tendencies rather than oppose them.

A good policy for planning is to alternate:
active and quiet times
structured and unstructured activities
together times and private times.

Be sure to inform parents what has happened during the day. If you follow a schedule, post it on a bulletin board, or include it in your parents’ handbook. If you don’t follow a schedule, you can list the various activities you have done. Parents are usually eager to find out what their children do during the day. Sharing what you do builds communication and helps parents recognize your efforts and respect your perceptions.

Activities

Your choice of activities will be influenced by the developmental levels of the children in your center. The idea behind the concept that children learn and play in different ways depends on:
their experience and interest
their ages
their special needs

For example, one 2-year old might climb better than another 4-year old, or a younger child who has played with a material frequently will use it in more complex ways than an older child who has not had any experience with that material.

Provide many chances for children to make real choices and explore ideas or objects on their own. Young children learn by handling real-life materials. Allow enough time for each activity, so children don’t feel pressured, but have time to see each activity to completion. Help children do what they are interested in, and offer materials and assistance in a way that helps them learn to help themselves. Your biggest task is to encourage children, to give them a sense of self-respect and accomplishment. They need room to try out and use their abilities. You can support them by encouraging their efforts (rather than praising their results) and providing them the opportunity and materials they need to develop in the ways they choose.

A good child-care provider watches individual children for signs of what activities appeal to them. Your challenge is to help all of them grow; to learn about themselves, others and the world; and to feel good about what they can do and who they are in this world. Curious confident children will continue to be eager learners and cooperative children.

Presenting Activities

Present learning activities and toys in a way to stimulate the children’s interest and play activities. Children need structured and unstructured time for learning and experimenting activities. How you present an activity will vary by the children’s development levels and the mood of the moment. Suppose you want to set up an art activity with discarded magazines, scissors, paste and paper. Older children may be able to select the pictures they want to use, cut them out and paste them on their paper without any help. You may be needed only to set up the materials. A younger child may need a lot of help learning how to use scissors and, in fact, the cutting may turn out to be the whole activity. Depending on the ages of the children, you may want to do an activity all together, with a small group or individually. Let the children know you value all of their work. Avoid activities to impress parents. As a professional, you will want to keep your program child-centered at all times. Explain to parents why it is important for children to invest themselves in their work. Watch how proud and confident children are when they say, “I did it myself!”

Curriculum

Education plays an integral role in the growth and development of all nations. It is important that quality educational programs are provided for our children from preschool through high school. To meet this challenge, many states as a condition for certification or registration require that child-care providers develop and offer structured educational curriculums to the children. Even if your state does not require this stipulation, it is a good idea to develop an adequate educational program for your center. By doing so, parents will view you as being a caring professional dedicated to the total growth and development of their children. As a result, you will likely attract more families with preschool and school-age children because education is important, and it plays a vital role in the development of our children.

Because you may not have the expertise to develop an educational program for your center, contact an Early Childhood Educational Specialist at a local college or university to help you develop an appropriate curriculum. You also may consider contacting the National Association for the Education of Young Children and request their assistance in developing a curriculum for your center. However, many child-care to provide and the age groups you are planning to serve. Use their recommendations and suggestions in developing a curriculum that will meet your needs, the parents’ needs and promote the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of the children.

Nutrition

You should specify to parents the kinds of meals and snacks you plan to provide for the children. It may be a good idea to post weekly or daily menus outlining the kinds of food to be served and the time of each meal or snack. Inform them of anything special in your nutrition program - tell them if you serve real fruit juices, or do not serve sweets. Most parents will be thrilled to find a caregiver who is so concerned about children’s nutrition. Sometimes parents request special nutritional considerations for their child, such as no sugar or no milk products. Decide what will work best for you. Perhaps the parents will need to supply special meals if you cannot accommodate the request (for example, a vegetarian diet).

If you are licensed or registered, you are eligible for a substantial reimbursement for your child care food expenses. For more information on the Child Care Food Program (CCFP), write the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

Parent Involvement

Children’s development depends not only on you as the caregiver, but also on the parents’ involvement. Children feel more secure and develop into confident, well-rounded individuals when they know their loved-ones support them. Get the parents involved in the children’s educational and recreational activities. For instance, plan a field trip to a local museum, and if possible, get some parents to agree to go on the trip with you, the staff and the children. The children will be thrilled knowing that their parents are going with them. Since it isn’t possible for each child’s parent(s) to attend every activity, try to get parents to schedule the activity they can attend.

Arrange conferences with parents to discuss the child’s progress. Provide them with a summary of the skills that you plan to cover and brief reports of the child’s progress. Parents will be delighted knowing that you are as concerned and committed to the total development of their children as they are.

Training

Providers often begin with no training other than that of being a parent or a baby-sitter. But most providers find that caring for a group of children presents more challenges than their experience has prepared them to meet. You may find that training in early childhood education and child development are very useful to your work. It is surprising how much can be learned about positive ways to discipline or guide children, or types of activities for different developmental levels. Research has shown that provider training is related to the quality of child care. Trained providers are more in demand by parents, who are becoming increasingly sophisticated about selecting care for their children. Where can you go to get more training in your profession?

Academic courses and preparation for state teacher certification are offered by many 2- and 4-year colleges and universities. Training series or individual workshops may be offered by resource and referral agencies, NAEYC Affiliate Groups, adult education programs or school districts.

Whether or not you have a college degree or a high school diploma, you are required to have a minimum of 15 hours of training in early childhood education to qualify for certification or licensing. For additional information on these requirements, contact your state or local Child Care Licensing Office.

The Child Development Associate Program

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Program is one form of training available to child care providers. The Child Development Associate Program offers a national credential based on performance with children and families. By participating in this process, you can learn more about your work and be recognized for your skills. The competency standards for the credential can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, even if you do not apply for the program. For more information about this voluntary program, or a copy of the book containing all the competencies identified for family childcare providers, call the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition at [202) 265-9090 or 800-424–4310.

Other Degree Programs in Early Childhood Education

Many 2 and 4 year colleges and many universities offer degrees in Early Childhood Education. Although you may not have training in this career field, if you are planning on making this your life-time vocation eventually, you may want to consider getting a degree. There is no doubt that the quality of a child’s education depends not only on the parents’ involvement but also on the education of the teacher and child care provide Quality education stems from well-educated, dedicate teachers at the preschool level and continues through high school and college. To ensure that the quality of our children’s education is not compromised, hire qualified, well-trained staff for your center.