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How do I find a great Daycare or Preschool?
Approach your daycare search as you would a job hunt. Be thorough, do your homework, and start your quest early — six months or a year before you'll need it isn't too soon, especially if you want to get your name on one of Shreveport/Bossier’s best daycares. Once you find a promising daycare or home daycare, you'll need to take a few steps to make sure it's one you want to stick with. We've outlined the process for you below.
One: Identify your priorities
First, decide what you want. Are you looking for daycare near work? Or would one closer to your home be more convenient? Do you want your child around lots of other kids as he would be in a center, or just a few (more likely in a home daycare)? Write everything down so you can refer to the list as you size up potential sites.
Two: Do your research
• Ask around to find the most reputable daycares. Friends and family can help get the word out for you, and personal references are the best kind.
• Ask some experts. The Childcare Aware hotline (800/424-2246) can give you the number of your local childcare resource and referral agency, which, in turn, can refer you to licensed centers and home daycares in your area. Better yet, ask for a list of accredited centers near you. If you find one with a stamp of approval from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (www.NAEYC.com) or the National Association of Family Child Care (www.NAFCC.org), count yourself lucky. Of course, accreditation isn't everything — make sure you're choosing the best overall situation for your child.
• Go online. Both the NAEYC and the National Association of Family Child Care have sites; visit them for guidelines and contact information. The NAEYC also has its searchable database of accredited daycare centers online.
Three: Visit and interview
You can ask a few preliminary questions over the phone (fees and ages of children, for example), but you won't really get a sense of what a daycare place is like until you go there and meet the staff and director. Ask daycare center directors and caregivers and home daycare providers about everything from hours, fees, and vacation schedules to philosophies on childrearing issues like discipline, feeding, and sleeping. Get a schedule of the day's activities and the center's policies. Pay attention to your gut feeling and how the director or caregiver handles the questions.
Ultimately, choosing a daycare is a very personal decision. You'll want a warm, clean, safe environment and experienced teachers who are paid well and happy with their jobs. Children crave consistency and need to form strong relationships with their caregivers, so you don't want teachers who come and go.
Pay attention to the caregiver-child ratios, and how many children are in a classroom. "It's easier to give one-on-one attention and be responsive when there are fewer kids in a room," says Stephanie Glowacki, director of accreditation services at the NAEYC. Be sure to give the daycare's numbers a reality test: A seemingly ideal 1:3 caregiver-baby ratio loses its impact if toddlers are always in the baby room, if an infant caregiver is called to help with the toddlers, or if one of the babies is colicky or has special needs.
Four: Check references
Positive word-of-mouth is a powerful endorsement. If a certain daycare has a buzz, ask other parents why they're raving about it. Ask each daycare you're considering for a list of past and present references — and call them. While you may run into a bit of a bias (centers and providers aren't likely to refer you to people who weren't happy with them), nothing is more convincing than hearing how other parents rate their care.
When you call, ask specific questions (don't ask if they like the center; ask what exactly they like about it and what they don't). If their child is no longer there, ask why. You may also want to call the Shreveport/Bossier Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the center or caregiver.
Five: Kid-test it
Come back and visit for a while with your child. You'll want to see how he and the caregiver interact and if he seems comfortable in the center's environment.
Six: Get on the waiting list
If the daycare of your dreams isn't available, don't despair. Putting yourself on a waiting list almost guarantees you'll get in at some point — even if it isn't precisely when you need it. And be sure to ask the daycare for recommendations of other similar places. In the meantime, keep looking and arrange interim care (share care, relative, etc.) until a spot becomes available.
Find out more information about your kids at www.babycenter.com. Babycenter.com is a great webpage for families and parents. Check them out!
Here are some of the local dayschools and preschools: When you contact them, rember to tell them that you found them at www.RedRiverKids.com.
American Child Day Care Center & School
426 E Washington St
Shreveport, LA 71104
(318) 865-2710
Bright Beginnings Child Care & Pre-School
110 Sibley Rd
Minden, LA 71055
(318) 377-4240
Care-A-Lot Child Care Center
6115 Tierra Dr
Shreveport, LA 71119
(318) 631-6368
Day-Time Friends Child Care Center
1060 Wilton Pl
Shreveport, LA 71107
(318) 424-7167
Friends For Life Child Care Center
6122 Hearne Ave
Shreveport, LA 71108
(318) 525-9775
Greenacres Child Care & Preschool
2700 Douglas Dr
Bossier City, LA
(318) 746-7107
House Of Love 2 Child Care
2000 Texas Ave
Shreveport, LA 71103
(318) 752-3361
Jimmie’s Rainbow Child Care Center
8232B Jewella Ave
Shreveport, LA 71108
(318) 686-0032
Kid’s Kingdom Child Care
1321 Airline Dr
Bossier City, LA 71111
(318) 742-9833
Kid’s Korner Child Care And Learning Center
5008 Greenwood Rd
Shreveport, LA
(318) 631-2400
Lapetit Ecole Child Care
318 Albert Ave
Shreveport, LA 71105
(318) 861-1563
Learn And Play Child Care Center
3602 Claiborne Ave
Shreveport, LA 71109
(318) 631-1951
Louisiana Pathways Child Care Career Development System
1800 Warrington Pl
Shreveport, LA 71101
(318) 677-3167
Mee Maw’s Playhouse Child Development Center LLC
4679 Highway 80 E
Haughton, LA
(318) 949-6800
www.mee-mawsplayhouse.com
Melody Land Child Care
2936 Greenwood Rd
Shreveport, LA 71109
(318) 525-0860
Melody Land Child Care II
4016 Greenwood Rd
Shreveport, LA 71109
(318) 525-8990
Molly’s Child Care And Development Center
1412 Airline Dr
Bossier City, LA
(318) 742-7710
Ms Nat Arms Of Love Child Care
1421 Airline Dr
Bossier City, LA
(318) 746-7496
Precious Lambs Learning Academy
5201 Broadway Ave
Shreveport, LA 71109
(318) 635-2232
4007 Lakeshore Dr
Shreveport, LA 71109
(318) 631-1708
Riverside Church Child Care Center
1714 Jimmie Davis Hwy
Bossier City, LA
(318) 742-5110
Southern Hills Child Care Service
8929 Brookwood Dr
Shreveport, LA 71118
(318) 686-9820
Waller Child Care Center
456 Waller Ave
Bossier City, LA
(318) 742-7137
Young Years Children’s Education Center
216 Sand Beach Blvd
Shreveport, LA 71105
(318) 797-4462
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