When looking for a child care provider, know the right questions to ask
To make a confident decision in regards to care and education for your child, you need to know the right questions to ask. Our Parent Checklist will provide a reference guide during your review process. We recommend you use this checklist to ask questions and compare AppleTree & Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool with other providers.
We feature all of the items listed below and would love to show them to you when you schedule a tour.
Facility/General
- Warm and inviting atmosphere
- Greeted with a friendly smile
- Warm, pleasant environment with soft paint tones to intrigue but not overstimulate children
- All meals and snacks are provided (not formula or baby food)
- Menu meets or exceeds USDA guidelines
- Adequate classroom space available for varied activities
- Staff are easily identified with uniforms and name tags
- Teachers receive on-going training throughout the year
- Low VOC emission carpet
- Spacious, attractive, separate playgrounds for younger and older children
- Personal storage cubby and nap bag provided to each child
Health & Safety
- Caregivers/teachers are certified in First Aid and CPR
- Restrooms and hand-washing facilities are easily accessible in each classroom
- Webcam access to child’s classroom
- Secured entry doors with code access
- Check-in/check-out procedure
- Learning materials are age-appropriate and safe
- All dangerous products (ex: medicines, chemicals) are out of reach of children
- Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are available
- Severe weather, fire, and emergency drills are performed
Learning Environment
- Program based on age-appropriate learning objectives
- Teachers demonstrate positive communication with children
- Developmentally-appropriate activities planned each day
- Teachers interact with children at their level and in a way that maximizes learning
- Planned schedule of activities is available
- Infants and young children have separate environments
- Infants have individualized lesson plans
- Child assessments are used to guide instruction and conduct parent-teacher conferences
Interest Areas/Curriculum
- Reading and literature areas
- Dramatic play areas
- Early math and problem-solving areas
- Creative areas
- Blocks/community awareness areas
- Science/sensory areas
- Computers equipped with age-appropriate software
- Age-appropriate curriculum with engaging activities
- Curriculum provides or both child-initiated and teacher-initiated activities
- Critical pre-writing and pre-reading skills are practiced every day
- Take-Home Readers are provided at every age to extend learning into your home
Parent Communication
- Daily verbal communication between teachers and parents
- Newsletters and memos are provided to parents
- Parent-teacher conferences with child growth and progress reports
- Many school events are offered for family involvement
- Parents are informed of accidents and unusual incidents
- Daily reports for communication available online in real time
- Monthly Home Connection activities are provided
