How do I choose a daycare I can actually trust?
6 min read · Updated · Untuk Anak Learning Space
The short answer
Choose a daycare by watching how adults speak to children, checking the child-to-teacher ratio and staff turnover, and asking exactly how the day, meals, naps and communication work. A good centre answers awkward questions calmly and lets you visit during a busy part of the day.
Watch before you ask
Spend the first ten minutes of a tour saying nothing. Do adults crouch to a child's level? Does anyone speak about a child as if they cannot hear? Are the children absorbed in something, or drifting? Atmosphere tells you more than any brochure.
Twelve questions worth asking
- 1.What is the child-to-teacher ratio, at the busiest moment of the day?
- 2.How long has each teacher been here?
- 3.Who cooks the food, and where?
- 4.How do you record and handle allergies?
- 5.What happens at nap time if my child does not sleep?
- 6.How do you handle biting, hitting and conflict?
- 7.What is your policy when a child is unwell?
- 8.Who is allowed to collect my child, and how is that checked?
- 9.What will I be told about the day, and how?
- 10.Can I visit unannounced?
- 11.How do you settle a new child in the first two weeks?
- 12.What would make you tell me something difficult about my child?
Signs to walk away
- Vague answers about ratios or staff turnover
- No willingness to let you see the space during active hours
- Children waiting, lining up or sitting still for long stretches
- Communication limited to a monthly newsletter
Full days are long for small people
If your child will be in care from morning to evening, ask specifically about the quiet parts of the day: rest, unhurried meals, and space to be alone. Our daycare runs 07:30 to 17:30, with a real rest period between 12:30 and 14:30 and fresh food cooked on site.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good child-to-teacher ratio for daycare?
- Lower is better, and it varies by age: roughly 1:3 for babies, 1:4–1:5 for toddlers, and 1:8 or better for preschoolers. Ask for the ratio at the busiest point of the day, not the average.
- What are your daycare hours?
- Untuk Anak's daily daycare runs from 07:30 to 17:30, Monday to Saturday, with meals cooked fresh on site and a rest period from 12:30 to 14:30.
Written by the team at Untuk Anak Learning Space in Kediri, Tabanan, Bali — a Reggio-inspired preschool and daycare for children aged 5 months to 7 years. This article is general guidance, not a substitute for individual professional advice.