FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — How to choose good child care? Investigating four key factors, say University of Arkansas child development professionals, can give parents the information they need to select a good facility for their child.

Start by visiting the center and asking plenty of questions, advised Sue Martin, professor of child development, and Vernoice Baldwin, director of the UA Infant Development Center and Nursery School. The four key areas parents need to examine are quality, health and safety, learning environment, and relationships.

Quality: What makes a quality program? To begin with, Martin said, parents should look for a child care facility that is licensed by the state. That is a minimum indication of a quality program.

Next, she said, “Ask whether the facility has accreditation or plans to gain accreditation. Seeking accreditation shows a commitment to providing the best quality of care.”

Two kinds of national accreditation are available, from either the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association for Family Child Care. Some states offer other ways for child care centers to show quality above and beyond licensure, such as the Arkansas Child Care Approval System.

“The best indicator of quality care for children is the educational background and training of the providers,” Baldwin said. “Ask how long the teachers or caregivers have been with the center. Attachment is so important for young children as they learn to develop trust, so you want the caregiver to be stable.”

Ask how many caregivers and children are in the center. Licensing agencies set limits on the ratio of children to staff. Typically there should be no more than four babies or young toddlers to each caregiver and up to eight children aged three to four years per caregiver.

Health and Safety: Ask what kinds of meals and snacks are being served to the children, Martin said. A menu should be posted; ask to see it. Meals and snacks should include a good selection of healthy foods and only limited sweet snacks. The programs that Baldwin directs have procedures in place to protect children with food allergies — another important question to ask staff.

When you look around the center, notice how clean it is. Are the pillows and curtains easily washable? Are dress-up costumes or other toys washed regularly? Toys that go into little mouths should be washed after each child’s use.

Do changing tables have cleaning supplies close at hand, and are the tables cleaned between each diaper change? Have staff members been trained to wash their hands properly or use fresh disposable gloves for each baby? Ask about the maintenance and cleaning schedules.

What about the playground? If it is not directly outside the center, do staff members have a safe system to get children to the playground? Children should never be left alone outside, and Baldwin says that caregivers should make sure that each child is engaged in some type of activity during outdoor playtime.

Learning Environment: While each age group has its own particular developmental needs, Martin and Baldwin noted that there are several features a parent should see in a good child care center.

“Children of all ages need a balance of restful and more vigorous activities during the day, and they should spend part of their day outdoors,” Martin said. “Ask to see the posted daily schedule, and talk to the child care providers about what happens on a typical day.”

“A child care center should be a rich environment, with a variety of opportunities for children,” Baldwin added. “In our facilities we don’t use television at all. Even on rainy days, we involve the children in indoor activities. Parents should definitely ask about television use. Babies and toddlers should not be watching TV, and it should only be used minimally with pre-school children.”

While parents should see children engaged in a variety of play when they visit a center, Baldwin cautioned that children also need quiet places.

“All centers should have a get-away place so children have a comfortable corner to go to when they need to be by themselves,” she said.

Babies should not spend the entire day being held or in a crib. As soon as they are able to move around, they should have a safe space in which to crawl and access to appropriate toys. Even little babies should be in a position where they can see what is going on while they are awake.

Toddlers are ready for sensory toys like Playdoh and puzzles, and they need toys like dump trucks, chalk and dolls that they can pick up and put down. Toddlers need lots of playground time to run, climb and slide.

Preschool children need large chunks of free playtime, Baldwin said.

“They need options to make choices with opportunities for music, art or exploring simple science,” she said. “They are ready for small group times where a caregiver might read a book to the children or lead singing.”

Relationships: When parents visit a child care center, they should see staff showing care and respect for children. Caregivers should listen to children and show them how to listen to their friends and treat others with respect.

The other important relationship is between parents and teachers. Martin said parents should ask if parent-teacher conferences are scheduled regularly.

“Children’s needs are best served with their caregivers and parents meet regularly to discuss progress and understand any challenges that may occur,” she said.

In the centers that Baldwin supervises, parents are welcome to visit at any time and are encouraged to talk with staff between formal meetings.

For further information, Martin and Baldwin recommend that parents visit the Web sites for the national accrediting agencies: http://www.naeyc.org or http://www.nafcc.org.