A daycare facility is established essentially to provide a caring environment for children while their parents or guardians are away at work or for some reason cannot take care of them fulltime, but are open to leaving them with qualified staff and helpers for a certain period every day where they are confident the child will be safe and happy.

However, this is only the very basic outline of what a daycare should provide children: with
state licensing now mandatory for daycares to operate and regular staff training credits being an important part of maintaining the daycare's credibility on an annual basis, there is a lot more than basis meals, play equipment and sleeping space that children must be given at a daycare
center.

We take a look at some of these essential daycare factors that parents must look out for when
choosing a daycare for the first time:

1. Check for a known and licensed daycare facility that can prove the service quality it will offer your child to ensure happiness, healthy environment and all-round development of your precious child.

Meet with the director of the daycare center and learn about his or her credentials; check for background of staff and other volunteer/helper workers who will be working closely with your child and the number of children they have enrolled in the group to determine their capability and dedication to proper early childhood development and education of children.

2. Find out about the kind of play equipment being used, the amount of space available to
the children for games and other activities, the hygiene and sanitation levels of the
daycare as well as the kind of meals being given to the children and whether there is
facility for any dietary supplements/changes for your child.

Inform about allergies your child may have and confirm the ability of the staff to deal with these or other medical issues; daycare staff needs to be properly trained in administering First-aid and CPR.