July 31, 2025 • 23 mins
Quality childcare creates the foundation for lifelong learning and development, but finding the right program often leaves parents confused, frustrated, and uncertain. What should you actually look for beyond a clean facility and friendly staff? How do you know if a program will nurture your child's development in ways that matter?
In this illuminating conversation, Dr. Lisa Hassler welcomes Judith Sikora, a respected voice in early childhood education with over three decades of leadership at national organizations like Child Care Aware of America. Sikora cuts through the confusion with practical wisdom that helps parents make informed choices based on what truly matters.
We explore the crucial differences between licensing (minimum safety standards) and quality indicators, examining adult-to-child ratios, curriculum approaches, staff qualifications, and physical environments. Sikora explains why staff trained specifically in early childhood education rather than elementary education provide better experiences for young children—"it's like comparing elephants to apples"—and guides parents through evaluating center-based programs, family childcare homes, and friend/family care options based on their child's unique temperament and needs.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Sikora challenges the common parental focus on academic readiness, revealing why communication skills and problem-solving abilities matter far more than memorizing letters and numbers at early ages. She offers specific questions to ask during program visits, observations to make about toys and activities, and explains how to access helpful resources like childcareaware.org's age-specific checklists.
🔗 Resources & Checklists
• Child Care Aware — Childcare Program Checklists
• Find your local CCR&R
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Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (00:00):
Finding the right child care is one of the
earliest and most importantsteps in supporting a child's
development.
It's not just about convenience.
It's about creating thefoundation for lifelong learning
and growth.
Welcome to the brighter side ofeducation, research, innovation
(00:26):
and resources.
I'm your host, dr Lisa Hassler,here to enlighten and brighten
the classrooms in Americathrough focused conversation on
important topics in education.
In each episode, I discussproblems we as teachers and
parents are facing and whatpeople are doing in their
communities to fix it.
What are the variables and howcan we duplicate it to maximize
(00:46):
student outcomes?
For many families, findingquality child care is a
confusing and often frustratingjourney.
High demand, rising costs andlimited options leave parents
unsure where to turn, especiallyas they try to balance work and
ensure their child'sdevelopment is well supported.
Identifying the best child careprogram for your child isn't
(01:06):
just about supervision.
It's foundational to a child'slearning and long-term success.
Studies show that high-qualitycare led by responsive,
well-trained educators buildslanguage, thinking and
social-emotional skills thatprepare children for school and
life.
In this episode, we'll cutthrough the confusion and
clarify what quality childcarereally means, so families can
(01:28):
make informed choices and chooseprograms supported by early
childhood professionals andeducators who provide safe and
developmentally appropriateearly learning environments.
To guide us through thisimportant conversation, I'm
joined by Judith Sikora, one ofthe most respected voices in
early childhood education.
With over three decades ofleadership at national
(01:49):
organizations like Child CareAware of America, judy has
helped shape the way earlychildhood systems support
children and families.
Her work spans program qualityimprovement, family engagement
and policy leadership.
Today, she's here to sharepractical insights and key
points that define what qualitychild care really looks like and
how families can focus on whatis important and what matters
(02:12):
most to them and their family.
Hi, judith, it is so nice foryou to join us.
Welcome to the Brighter Side ofEducation.
Judith Sikora (02:18):
Well, thank you for inviting me, Lisa.
It's a pleasure to be here withyou today.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (02:22):
When families are thinking about child care,
what kind of first steps shouldthey take?
Judith Sikora (02:26):
Well, it's important to think about a
couple of things initiallybefore you even start looking at
specific programs.
But think about geography.
By that I mean what your routeis If you go to an office.
What's your route that you'regoing to travel, you have to
think about the logistics of howis this going to work every day
.
That's really primary, and youalso want to have your child
(02:48):
enrolled in a program that youfeel really comfortable with and
you feel that that's a reallyrich, loving and caring
environment because you'rebringing your child there
probably every day.
So I would say that that'sreally the top most important
things to think of before youstart digging into what's
important in terms of whatcomprises a quality child care
(03:10):
program.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (03:10):
What does it mean when a program is licensed
and why does it matter?
Judith Sikora (03:14):
Every state has child care licensing regulations
.
Child care licensingregulations vary greatly
sometimes from state to state,and that's something that's very
searchable online.
Childcare licensing is minimumsafety and health standards for
a program.
It is not an indicator ofquality.
So that's where that's kind ofthe where you want to start the
(03:36):
bar.
You want to make sure that theprogram is licensed and we're
going to talk about differentkinds of programs.
Safety guidelines et cetera varybased on the setting, because
the physicality of the settingsare different.
The staff of licensed programsare required to go through
certain minimal trainings on ayearly basis safety refresher
courses, trainings for all kindsof areas that have to do with
(04:00):
the licensing requirementsthemselves.
So that's usually prettyrigorous in each state.
To become licensed, there's anapplication process in each
state.
There's an evaluation of allthe documentation and then a
representative from thelicensing office will come and
visit the site, talk with theperson who is the owner if it's
a family child care home theowner and or the director of the
(04:21):
program and actually go throughthe whole physical site look
for safety, look at amount ofspace per child sleeping areas
basically, soup to nuts.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (04:33):
I would assume background checks on staff.
Judith Sikora (04:35):
Sure Background checks on staff, Also the
records of training.
What are all the proceduresthat staff follow for
cleanliness of even the playtables where children are
involved in activities, whenfood is being served?
Washing hands policy, toiletingpolicy, any kind of procedures
or regular rituals that thatprogram goes through with their
(04:56):
staff and the children would allbe reviewed by the official.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (05:00):
What kind of quality standards for early
childhood education programs arethere?
Judith Sikora (05:04):
It's categorical.
So you would look in categoriesand there's physical space,
right?
So there's the indoor physicalspace.
Is there enough square footageper child?
Also, how many children to howmany adults should there be?
It may vary from state to state, but optimally the ratio of
adult caregiver per child forinfants should be no more than
(05:25):
four to one, so one adultcaregiver.
Then of course at the age ofthree that increases to 12.
That's optimum.
So you want to know thoseratios for that program.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (05:37):
Are there any other quality standards?
Judith Sikora (05:39):
Yes, there's standards for curriculum.
There are some very highquality early childhood
curriculum products that are outthere that many programs
ascribe to.
They're wonderful.
You want to know that theprogram is very aware of their
pinning, whatever teachingstrategies and how the materials
are used and what the materialsare in the program to where the
(06:00):
child is developmentally.
So a typical activity day for atwo-year-old may be very
different than what it is for athree-year-old, and so on and so
forth.
Every age and stage brings withit different teaching
strategies that work best basedon how well developed that
particular child's brain is.
And you also want to make surethat there's individualization
(06:21):
in the instruction, so ifchildren are really interested
in dinosaurs, that thatcaregiver is reading a lot of
books about dinosaurs to thatparticular child and finding
some private moments to givethat personalized attention to
each child.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (06:37):
Yeah, are there any other parts of quality
standards that they should knowabout?
Judith Sikora (06:41):
Yes, there should be a schedule for the day
Should be the teacher orteachers should be planning.
Not in terms of rigidity,because you want to be flexible
with very young children.
You also want to make sure thatthere should be some outdoor
playtime in a very safe, secureenvironment every day, 12 months
out of the year, even in thevery cold weather.
(07:02):
It's actually very good forchildren to get really bundled
up even if it's for about 10, 15minutes, and run around outside
bundled up in their snowsuits,because that fresh air is really
good for their lungs and it'sgood for health and overall
wellness.
And very young children need alot of physical exercise.
Outdoor play is just asimportant as any other part of
the schedule, Resting scheduletoo.
(07:24):
Just as you want rigorousphysical activity, you want to
make sure that there's a timefor children to rest.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (07:31):
Are there quality standards that programs
can achieve?
Judith Sikora (07:34):
Yes, there are a lot of accreditation programs on
the national level that areavailable to programs that are
really aspiring in a veryvoluntary way to the highest
standards for a child careprogram.
If they are accredited they areable to display that logo on
their brochures.
On their website, for instance,the National Association for
(07:55):
the Education of Young Childrenhas an accreditation process
that programs can go through andthat is the highest seal of
quality in terms of documentinga quality program.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (08:05):
Do teachers have preschool certification to
teach in those types ofenvironments you want to make?
Judith Sikora (08:11):
sure the staff that are working with your
children have a backgroundspecifically in early childhood
education and or experience inpreschool.
In preschool, Having been aformer college professor in
early childhood programs, I willsay that it's preferred to have
early childhood educationbecause when professionals are
(08:31):
trained in early childhoodeducation, as opposed to
elementary ed, it's really sodifferent.
It's like comparing elephantsto apples educating three and
four-year-olds as opposed to sixand seven-year-olds.
Their brains are so differentand the strategies are different
.
The whole day is configuredvery differently.
So if your staff in yourprogram that's serving your
child has early childhoodeducation background, that's a
(08:54):
really good situation for you,your child and your family.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (08:57):
What kinds of child care program settings are
available to families, and whatare the key differences between
them?
Judith Sikora (09:05):
I would say that there's three general categories
.
One is called center-based care.
That would be where there's aseparate program.
It might be church-affiliated,it's a building, a physical
space that's specific for childcare.
Then there is a family childcare home, which, by the way,
there is a family child carelicensing process.
(09:25):
States have that.
And the third setting would befriend and family care, which
that would be an unlicensedsituation.
That's a close friend or afamily member and while I think
it's great a lot of familieshave the advantage of having
very, very close family thatthey trust their children with
every day or as they need to fortheir work schedule, I think
(09:49):
it's important not to makeassumptions.
It's important for you toreally know that person and
understand if they have thatability to really care for a
very rigorous preschooler.
You know your child, what theycan get into throughout the day,
just really know your provider,and that will bring that peace
of mind for you.
If you do not have thatresource, then relying on family
(10:13):
child care home and acenter-based program are great
solutions and it depends on bothyour comfort level but also to
the personality of your child interms of which setting you'd
like to have, thinking about thephysical space.
When a family child care homeit's in someone's home.
So if you have a child thatneeds to develop friends but you
think maybe a center-basedprogram, the large physical
(10:35):
space of a center-based program,would be too overwhelming for
your child, maybe family childcare home might be a good
alternative to start off withchild care because it's less
stimulation, it's a smallerphysical environment, there'd be
less children.
Maybe you feel like your childis very rigorous, wants to make
a lot of friends and you thinklet's try the center-based, see
(10:56):
how that goes.
But socialization in these ages, as you can imagine, is really
important for children.
So choosing that setting thataligns with the temperament of
your child is really, reallyimportant.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (11:07):
I did a lot of neighbor care and family and
then we didn't go to anycenter-based until three years
old.
So it's good to know that thereare these options, you know,
when they're so young to infuseboth education and care into the
environment, with havingconsistent care around the year
to depend on as a parent whoneeds to go to work.
Judith Sikora (11:29):
Right.
Ask for a copy of the program'spolicies and procedures.
You know pick up and drop offprocedures, sick child policy,
plus to know the specific earlychildhood programs.
Every state has child careresource centers and there's two
different acronyms that go withthat CCRCs child care resource
centers or CCRNR's Child CareResource Referral Agencies.
(11:52):
They go by those two tag names.
Google that for your area.
What will come up is an agencythat can provide information to
you based on your specific needs.
Say, okay, I'm looking forlicensed center-based programs
in this particular county, canyou help me?
And there are people live,human beings, that will answer
the phone and help you navigatethat in terms of locating those
(12:15):
programs to see, and they willalso give you a specific list of
licensed programs.
State websites will do that aswell.
Don't overlook it's reallygreat to tap into your local
child care resources.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (12:28):
So what is Head Start, and how does that
fit into all this?
Judith Sikora (12:32):
Okay, there's Head Start and then there's
Early Head Start.
It's age specific, so EarlyHead Start is infancy through
the age of three, and then HeadStart is for preschoolers, age
three through five.
Both Early Head Start and HeadStart are the only direct
federally funded early childhoodprograms in our country.
They are programs that areincome-based, so it's based on a
(12:54):
family's income sliding feescale, that sort of thing and
they're comprehensive servicesprograms.
By that I mean that there'sparent education, there are
educational programs for thechildren, but there's also a
very high component of parentinvolvement in both Early Head
Start and Head Start programs.
In order to maintain theirstatus as an early Head Start or
(13:15):
Head Start program, there arerigorous program performance
standards which these programsmust adhere to.
I used to be quite involvedwith early Head Start and Head
Start in the review process, soit's very rigorous and it's a
great option for families thathave a limited income.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (13:32):
If you were looking at a center, would it
just say that they are a HeadStart facility?
Or can they be a private entityand then have Head Start
qualifications andcertifications and then other
quality markers as well?
So can you accept Head Startbut also serve anybody who walks
in the door?
Judith Sikora (13:52):
Sometimes there are programs that have those
blendings where they areconsidered a Head Start grantee
and they can also be servingmore children that are not
receiving Head Start and orearly Head Start funds for as
well.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (14:06):
Okay, a parent is at the child care program.
What should they be looking forand what kind of questions
should they be asking?
Judith Sikora (14:12):
So do you have a copy of your policies and
procedures that I can review andsee if I have any questions
about that's the first question.
You want to look at thequalifications of the staff.
You want to look at thephysical space.
Does it look very clean?
Do you see staff cleaningtables in between activities?
They're prepping for a snack orlunchtime.
(14:33):
What rituals are they goingthrough to make sure that things
are sanitary and that there'sno health risks?
You want to see that cleaningmaterials and solutions and
things like that are in lockedcabinets, labeled so that they
can't reach that.
What's the policy procedure forparents coming to visit Like?
What are their procedures forparent involvement?
(14:53):
Think about what your needs are, and that will drive a lot of
the questions that you ask ifthey are serving food.
This is a quick example.
My child is trying a new food.
You know what's your policywith that?
How do you proceed with that?
Because you know our eatingpatterns with families are very,
very different and we want ourown patterns to be respected.
(15:16):
There may be certain foods thatyou don't want your child to
ever eat, right Because of yourown beliefs.
I also think something that isreally not as scripted but I
think is really important is,you know, we all have our inner
I call it my gut, but my thatfeeling.
(15:36):
When you walk into a program,how does it feel to you?
Does it feel like a friendplace?
It shouldn't feel regimented,but it should feel ritualized to
a certain extent because staffare following certain procedures
, right.
But you know, when childrenhave a need, do you see the
staff saying excuse me, wait oneminute, I'm talking to John,
I'll be with you in a minute.
And then they do circle backand respond to the child.
(15:56):
So are the staff responsive?
Do they put their arm aroundthe child's shoulder when
they're talking to them to helpwith eye contact?
And I would strongly suggestthat you do observe them during
a normal day.
It's also important tounderstand that when you add a
stranger into a room, it changesthe dynamics of the children.
Little ones will come up to you, say hi name is, are you going
(16:20):
to stay here?
You know which?
It'll be a little different.
So just know that yourinsertion into that space
changes the human dynamics thatare happening.
But you're still going to get agood indicator of how a normal
period of time proceeds in aclassroom if you observe.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (16:38):
What would you look for in regards?
Judith Sikora (16:39):
to toys, oh well, we want them to be
developmentally appropriate.
We want them to be clean.
It's different for differentages and stages, for infants and
toddlers.
When you're talking up to agethree in particular, you know
children are still very oral andthat's normal because children
are very tactile.
So you want to, you know youwant to know what the toy
(17:00):
cleaning procedure is, becauseyou know children are putting
things in their mouth.
With preschoolers you want tosee a variety of toys that are
available.
Things are neatly stacked onshelves.
Maybe they're labeled with apicture and a word, easily
accessible.
Children are encouraged toclean up.
Cleanup time is part of thelearning process.
So after they're playing inblocks, they are putting the
(17:23):
blocks away.
There's usually shape andpicture labels along shelves to
guide children so they know itdoesn't take them very long to
figure out how to do that.
You don't want to really see toomuch done as a whole group
setting.
You want to see activity tableswhere children can freely go
from one activity table toanother, because children in the
(17:43):
preschool ages older twos upthrough five-year-olds they have
a shorter attention span.
What we're trying to do is growtheir attention span as their
brain develops.
So you want to see that theyhave choices Blocks.
There should be wooden blocks.
There should be a family livingcenter where they can pretend
and have, dress up clothes andwork through their
(18:04):
communications and their socialskills.
You want to see manipulativeareas where there's wooden
puzzles and toys that they canstack, sorting activities based
on their whim.
They can sort according tocolor or size or physicality
somehow, or shape.
So good time to throw in.
What's really most important atthese ages is to help children
(18:28):
develop their problem-solvingskills and their communication
skills.
Very often parents they thinkthat this is the most important
thing for children to know theircolors, their shapes, their
alphabet letters and theirnumbers.
Those are very importantelements of rote knowledge.
However, those will kind oforganically come when the child
is exposed to these things andin the context of a really rich,
(18:53):
healthy social environmentwhere they can develop their
communication skills.
So I wouldn't be very fixatedon that.
Like drilling children withthat, their exposure to it.
They're going to be curious andwhen they're curious about
something you pick up and saydid you want to know more about
that?
Well, let's talk about this.
So like taking their lead isreally the best way because when
they're interested they'regoing to learn more when they're
(19:15):
initiating that interest,they're going to learn.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (19:17):
That's good to know Now you've worked
extensively in designingresources that support quality
improvement.
What strategies have you seenwork best for elevating
standards in child care programs?
Judith Sikora (19:28):
I think what's most important is that the staff
who are qualified in earlychildhood education.
It's not an easy job.
It's constant multitasking,it's keeping up on your own
professional education, it'schanging course in a split
second, sometimes based on thecircumstances.
So it's a stressful job and Ithink what's most important for
(19:51):
early childhood programs is whenthe staff know that they are
supported, that people get it interms of the rigor of their job
and communicating as much asparents and families would like
regarding how that child's daywas what they did.
That was new that day.
Early childhood professionalsoverall are very dedicated and
they really love families.
(20:11):
They're there because theyreally want to be part of that
happening.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:15):
As we wrap up, do you have any advice for
families regarding child careand educational development?
And then those sites.
What website is that and whatkind of checklists and?
Judith Sikora (20:24):
then those sites.
What website is that and whatkind of checklists?
Okay, the website ischildcarewareorg and if you
search, there's a parent portionin that website and in there
you can look up child careprogram checklists and they'll
have checklists.
There's a quick checklist.
The quick checklist is for ifyou have to make a quick change
in care absolutely what you needto look for, and there's also a
(20:46):
breakdown list based on agerange.
So there's infant and toddlerchecklist, there's a preschool
checklist and then there's abefore and after school care
checklist too.
Parents can go to that andreview as part of their
preparation before they go toindividual programs to check out
.
I think overall, we really haveto listen to our intuition.
(21:10):
How does it feel?
Does it feel friendly?
Does it feel welcoming?
Do people look at you and smile?
You know, and just get a goodoverview before you dig in and
you start looking at thosechecklists?
Or you're reviewing policiesand procedures because you know
your child best and a programthat respects that.
You know your child best.
(21:31):
That's what's to look for,because there'll be times when
you need to interact or theremay be some miscommunication and
you want to know that they willbe responsive and really hear
you.
That's part of shopping for aprogram.
Everyone can have great days.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (21:46):
Well, thank you so much for joining us today
and for sharing all of yourexpertise and practical guidance
with quality measures and whatto be asking.
Thank you.
Judith Sikora (21:56):
Well, thank you for having me, Lisa.
It's been a pleasure talking toyou.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (22:00):
If today's conversation helped clarify what
quality child care looks like.
Share this episode with someonewho might be starting their own
search.
If you have a story aboutwhat's working in your schools
that you'd like to share, youcan email me at lisa at
drlisahasslercom, or visit mywebsite at wwwdrlisahasslercom
(22:21):
and send me a message.
If you like this podcast,subscribe and tell a friend.
(22:47):
The more people that know, thebigger impact it will have,
thank you, affecting positivechange.
Judith Sikora (22:49):
So let's keep working together to find
solutions that focus on ourchildren's success.
Finding the right child care is one of the
earliest and most importantsteps in supporting a child's
development.
It's not just about convenience.
It's about creating thefoundation for lifelong learning
and growth.
Welcome to the brighter side ofeducation, research, innovation
(00:26):
and resources.
I'm your host, dr Lisa Hassler,here to enlighten and brighten
the classrooms in Americathrough focused conversation on
important topics in education.
In each episode, I discussproblems we as teachers and
parents are facing and whatpeople are doing in their
communities to fix it.
What are the variables and howcan we duplicate it to maximize
(00:46):
student outcomes?
For many families, findingquality child care is a
confusing and often frustratingjourney.
High demand, rising costs andlimited options leave parents
unsure where to turn, especiallyas they try to balance work and
ensure their child'sdevelopment is well supported.
Identifying the best child careprogram for your child isn't
(01:06):
just about supervision.
It's foundational to a child'slearning and long-term success.
Studies show that high-qualitycare led by responsive,
well-trained educators buildslanguage, thinking and
social-emotional skills thatprepare children for school and
life.
In this episode, we'll cutthrough the confusion and
clarify what quality childcarereally means, so families can
(01:28):
make informed choices and chooseprograms supported by early
childhood professionals andeducators who provide safe and
developmentally appropriateearly learning environments.
To guide us through thisimportant conversation, I'm
joined by Judith Sikora, one ofthe most respected voices in
early childhood education.
With over three decades ofleadership at national
(01:49):
organizations like Child CareAware of America, judy has
helped shape the way earlychildhood systems support
children and families.
Her work spans program qualityimprovement, family engagement
and policy leadership.
Today, she's here to sharepractical insights and key
points that define what qualitychild care really looks like and
how families can focus on whatis important and what matters
(02:12):
most to them and their family.
Hi, judith, it is so nice foryou to join us.
Welcome to the Brighter Side ofEducation.
Judith Sikora (02:18):
Well, thank you for inviting me, Lisa.
It's a pleasure to be here withyou today.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (02:22):
When families are thinking about child care,
what kind of first steps shouldthey take?
Judith Sikora (02:26):
Well, it's important to think about a
couple of things initiallybefore you even start looking at
specific programs.
But think about geography.
By that I mean what your routeis If you go to an office.
What's your route that you'regoing to travel, you have to
think about the logistics of howis this going to work every day
.
That's really primary, and youalso want to have your child
(02:48):
enrolled in a program that youfeel really comfortable with and
you feel that that's a reallyrich, loving and caring
environment because you'rebringing your child there
probably every day.
So I would say that that'sreally the top most important
things to think of before youstart digging into what's
important in terms of whatcomprises a quality child care
(03:10):
program.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (03:10):
What does it mean when a program is licensed
and why does it matter?
Judith Sikora (03:14):
Every state has child care licensing regulations
.
Child care licensingregulations vary greatly
sometimes from state to state,and that's something that's very
searchable online.
Childcare licensing is minimumsafety and health standards for
a program.
It is not an indicator ofquality.
So that's where that's kind ofthe where you want to start the
(03:36):
bar.
You want to make sure that theprogram is licensed and we're
going to talk about differentkinds of programs.
Safety guidelines et cetera varybased on the setting, because
the physicality of the settingsare different.
The staff of licensed programsare required to go through
certain minimal trainings on ayearly basis safety refresher
courses, trainings for all kindsof areas that have to do with
(04:00):
the licensing requirementsthemselves.
So that's usually prettyrigorous in each state.
To become licensed, there's anapplication process in each
state.
There's an evaluation of allthe documentation and then a
representative from thelicensing office will come and
visit the site, talk with theperson who is the owner if it's
a family child care home theowner and or the director of the
(04:21):
program and actually go throughthe whole physical site look
for safety, look at amount ofspace per child sleeping areas
basically, soup to nuts.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (04:33):
I would assume background checks on staff.
Judith Sikora (04:35):
Sure Background checks on staff, Also the
records of training.
What are all the proceduresthat staff follow for
cleanliness of even the playtables where children are
involved in activities, whenfood is being served?
Washing hands policy, toiletingpolicy, any kind of procedures
or regular rituals that thatprogram goes through with their
(04:56):
staff and the children would allbe reviewed by the official.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (05:00):
What kind of quality standards for early
childhood education programs arethere?
Judith Sikora (05:04):
It's categorical.
So you would look in categoriesand there's physical space,
right?
So there's the indoor physicalspace.
Is there enough square footageper child?
Also, how many children to howmany adults should there be?
It may vary from state to state, but optimally the ratio of
adult caregiver per child forinfants should be no more than
(05:25):
four to one, so one adultcaregiver.
Then of course at the age ofthree that increases to 12.
That's optimum.
So you want to know thoseratios for that program.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (05:37):
Are there any other quality standards?
Judith Sikora (05:39):
Yes, there's standards for curriculum.
There are some very highquality early childhood
curriculum products that are outthere that many programs
ascribe to.
They're wonderful.
You want to know that theprogram is very aware of their
pinning, whatever teachingstrategies and how the materials
are used and what the materialsare in the program to where the
(06:00):
child is developmentally.
So a typical activity day for atwo-year-old may be very
different than what it is for athree-year-old, and so on and so
forth.
Every age and stage brings withit different teaching
strategies that work best basedon how well developed that
particular child's brain is.
And you also want to make surethat there's individualization
(06:21):
in the instruction, so ifchildren are really interested
in dinosaurs, that thatcaregiver is reading a lot of
books about dinosaurs to thatparticular child and finding
some private moments to givethat personalized attention to
each child.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (06:37):
Yeah, are there any other parts of quality
standards that they should knowabout?
Judith Sikora (06:41):
Yes, there should be a schedule for the day
Should be the teacher orteachers should be planning.
Not in terms of rigidity,because you want to be flexible
with very young children.
You also want to make sure thatthere should be some outdoor
playtime in a very safe, secureenvironment every day, 12 months
out of the year, even in thevery cold weather.
(07:02):
It's actually very good forchildren to get really bundled
up even if it's for about 10, 15minutes, and run around outside
bundled up in their snowsuits,because that fresh air is really
good for their lungs and it'sgood for health and overall
wellness.
And very young children need alot of physical exercise.
Outdoor play is just asimportant as any other part of
the schedule, Resting scheduletoo.
(07:24):
Just as you want rigorousphysical activity, you want to
make sure that there's a timefor children to rest.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (07:31):
Are there quality standards that programs
can achieve?
Judith Sikora (07:34):
Yes, there are a lot of accreditation programs on
the national level that areavailable to programs that are
really aspiring in a veryvoluntary way to the highest
standards for a child careprogram.
If they are accredited they areable to display that logo on
their brochures.
On their website, for instance,the National Association for
(07:55):
the Education of Young Childrenhas an accreditation process
that programs can go through andthat is the highest seal of
quality in terms of documentinga quality program.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (08:05):
Do teachers have preschool certification to
teach in those types ofenvironments you want to make?
Judith Sikora (08:11):
sure the staff that are working with your
children have a backgroundspecifically in early childhood
education and or experience inpreschool.
In preschool, Having been aformer college professor in
early childhood programs, I willsay that it's preferred to have
early childhood educationbecause when professionals are
(08:31):
trained in early childhoodeducation, as opposed to
elementary ed, it's really sodifferent.
It's like comparing elephantsto apples educating three and
four-year-olds as opposed to sixand seven-year-olds.
Their brains are so differentand the strategies are different
.
The whole day is configuredvery differently.
So if your staff in yourprogram that's serving your
child has early childhoodeducation background, that's a
(08:54):
really good situation for you,your child and your family.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (08:57):
What kinds of child care program settings are
available to families, and whatare the key differences between
them?
Judith Sikora (09:05):
I would say that there's three general categories
.
One is called center-based care.
That would be where there's aseparate program.
It might be church-affiliated,it's a building, a physical
space that's specific for childcare.
Then there is a family childcare home, which, by the way,
there is a family child carelicensing process.
(09:25):
States have that.
And the third setting would befriend and family care, which
that would be an unlicensedsituation.
That's a close friend or afamily member and while I think
it's great a lot of familieshave the advantage of having
very, very close family thatthey trust their children with
every day or as they need to fortheir work schedule, I think
(09:49):
it's important not to makeassumptions.
It's important for you toreally know that person and
understand if they have thatability to really care for a
very rigorous preschooler.
You know your child, what theycan get into throughout the day,
just really know your provider,and that will bring that peace
of mind for you.
If you do not have thatresource, then relying on family
(10:13):
child care home and acenter-based program are great
solutions and it depends on bothyour comfort level but also to
the personality of your child interms of which setting you'd
like to have, thinking about thephysical space.
When a family child care homeit's in someone's home.
So if you have a child thatneeds to develop friends but you
think maybe a center-basedprogram, the large physical
(10:35):
space of a center-based program,would be too overwhelming for
your child, maybe family childcare home might be a good
alternative to start off withchild care because it's less
stimulation, it's a smallerphysical environment, there'd be
less children.
Maybe you feel like your childis very rigorous, wants to make
a lot of friends and you thinklet's try the center-based, see
(10:56):
how that goes.
But socialization in these ages, as you can imagine, is really
important for children.
So choosing that setting thataligns with the temperament of
your child is really, reallyimportant.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (11:07):
I did a lot of neighbor care and family and
then we didn't go to anycenter-based until three years
old.
So it's good to know that thereare these options, you know,
when they're so young to infuseboth education and care into the
environment, with havingconsistent care around the year
to depend on as a parent whoneeds to go to work.
Judith Sikora (11:29):
Right.
Ask for a copy of the program'spolicies and procedures.
You know pick up and drop offprocedures, sick child policy,
plus to know the specific earlychildhood programs.
Every state has child careresource centers and there's two
different acronyms that go withthat CCRCs child care resource
centers or CCRNR's Child CareResource Referral Agencies.
(11:52):
They go by those two tag names.
Google that for your area.
What will come up is an agencythat can provide information to
you based on your specific needs.
Say, okay, I'm looking forlicensed center-based programs
in this particular county, canyou help me?
And there are people live,human beings, that will answer
the phone and help you navigatethat in terms of locating those
(12:15):
programs to see, and they willalso give you a specific list of
licensed programs.
State websites will do that aswell.
Don't overlook it's reallygreat to tap into your local
child care resources.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (12:28):
So what is Head Start, and how does that
fit into all this?
Judith Sikora (12:32):
Okay, there's Head Start and then there's
Early Head Start.
It's age specific, so EarlyHead Start is infancy through
the age of three, and then HeadStart is for preschoolers, age
three through five.
Both Early Head Start and HeadStart are the only direct
federally funded early childhoodprograms in our country.
They are programs that areincome-based, so it's based on a
(12:54):
family's income sliding feescale, that sort of thing and
they're comprehensive servicesprograms.
By that I mean that there'sparent education, there are
educational programs for thechildren, but there's also a
very high component of parentinvolvement in both Early Head
Start and Head Start programs.
In order to maintain theirstatus as an early Head Start or
(13:15):
Head Start program, there arerigorous program performance
standards which these programsmust adhere to.
I used to be quite involvedwith early Head Start and Head
Start in the review process, soit's very rigorous and it's a
great option for families thathave a limited income.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (13:32):
If you were looking at a center, would it
just say that they are a HeadStart facility?
Or can they be a private entityand then have Head Start
qualifications andcertifications and then other
quality markers as well?
So can you accept Head Startbut also serve anybody who walks
in the door?
Judith Sikora (13:52):
Sometimes there are programs that have those
blendings where they areconsidered a Head Start grantee
and they can also be servingmore children that are not
receiving Head Start and orearly Head Start funds for as
well.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (14:06):
Okay, a parent is at the child care program.
What should they be looking forand what kind of questions
should they be asking?
Judith Sikora (14:12):
So do you have a copy of your policies and
procedures that I can review andsee if I have any questions
about that's the first question.
You want to look at thequalifications of the staff.
You want to look at thephysical space.
Does it look very clean?
Do you see staff cleaningtables in between activities?
They're prepping for a snack orlunchtime.
(14:33):
What rituals are they goingthrough to make sure that things
are sanitary and that there'sno health risks?
You want to see that cleaningmaterials and solutions and
things like that are in lockedcabinets, labeled so that they
can't reach that.
What's the policy procedure forparents coming to visit Like?
What are their procedures forparent involvement?
(14:53):
Think about what your needs are, and that will drive a lot of
the questions that you ask ifthey are serving food.
This is a quick example.
My child is trying a new food.
You know what's your policywith that?
How do you proceed with that?
Because you know our eatingpatterns with families are very,
very different and we want ourown patterns to be respected.
(15:16):
There may be certain foods thatyou don't want your child to
ever eat, right Because of yourown beliefs.
I also think something that isreally not as scripted but I
think is really important is,you know, we all have our inner
I call it my gut, but my thatfeeling.
(15:36):
When you walk into a program,how does it feel to you?
Does it feel like a friendplace?
It shouldn't feel regimented,but it should feel ritualized to
a certain extent because staffare following certain procedures
, right.
But you know, when childrenhave a need, do you see the
staff saying excuse me, wait oneminute, I'm talking to John,
I'll be with you in a minute.
And then they do circle backand respond to the child.
(15:56):
So are the staff responsive?
Do they put their arm aroundthe child's shoulder when
they're talking to them to helpwith eye contact?
And I would strongly suggestthat you do observe them during
a normal day.
It's also important tounderstand that when you add a
stranger into a room, it changesthe dynamics of the children.
Little ones will come up to you, say hi name is, are you going
(16:20):
to stay here?
You know which?
It'll be a little different.
So just know that yourinsertion into that space
changes the human dynamics thatare happening.
But you're still going to get agood indicator of how a normal
period of time proceeds in aclassroom if you observe.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (16:38):
What would you look for in regards?
Judith Sikora (16:39):
to toys, oh well, we want them to be
developmentally appropriate.
We want them to be clean.
It's different for differentages and stages, for infants and
toddlers.
When you're talking up to agethree in particular, you know
children are still very oral andthat's normal because children
are very tactile.
So you want to, you know youwant to know what the toy
(17:00):
cleaning procedure is, becauseyou know children are putting
things in their mouth.
With preschoolers you want tosee a variety of toys that are
available.
Things are neatly stacked onshelves.
Maybe they're labeled with apicture and a word, easily
accessible.
Children are encouraged toclean up.
Cleanup time is part of thelearning process.
So after they're playing inblocks, they are putting the
(17:23):
blocks away.
There's usually shape andpicture labels along shelves to
guide children so they know itdoesn't take them very long to
figure out how to do that.
You don't want to really see toomuch done as a whole group
setting.
You want to see activity tableswhere children can freely go
from one activity table toanother, because children in the
(17:43):
preschool ages older twos upthrough five-year-olds they have
a shorter attention span.
What we're trying to do is growtheir attention span as their
brain develops.
So you want to see that theyhave choices Blocks.
There should be wooden blocks.
There should be a family livingcenter where they can pretend
and have, dress up clothes andwork through their
(18:04):
communications and their socialskills.
You want to see manipulativeareas where there's wooden
puzzles and toys that they canstack, sorting activities based
on their whim.
They can sort according tocolor or size or physicality
somehow, or shape.
So good time to throw in.
What's really most important atthese ages is to help children
(18:28):
develop their problem-solvingskills and their communication
skills.
Very often parents they thinkthat this is the most important
thing for children to know theircolors, their shapes, their
alphabet letters and theirnumbers.
Those are very importantelements of rote knowledge.
However, those will kind oforganically come when the child
is exposed to these things andin the context of a really rich,
(18:53):
healthy social environmentwhere they can develop their
communication skills.
So I wouldn't be very fixatedon that.
Like drilling children withthat, their exposure to it.
They're going to be curious andwhen they're curious about
something you pick up and saydid you want to know more about
that?
Well, let's talk about this.
So like taking their lead isreally the best way because when
they're interested they'regoing to learn more when they're
(19:15):
initiating that interest,they're going to learn.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (19:17):
That's good to know Now you've worked
extensively in designingresources that support quality
improvement.
What strategies have you seenwork best for elevating
standards in child care programs?
Judith Sikora (19:28):
I think what's most important is that the staff
who are qualified in earlychildhood education.
It's not an easy job.
It's constant multitasking,it's keeping up on your own
professional education, it'schanging course in a split
second, sometimes based on thecircumstances.
So it's a stressful job and Ithink what's most important for
(19:51):
early childhood programs is whenthe staff know that they are
supported, that people get it interms of the rigor of their job
and communicating as much asparents and families would like
regarding how that child's daywas what they did.
That was new that day.
Early childhood professionalsoverall are very dedicated and
they really love families.
(20:11):
They're there because theyreally want to be part of that
happening.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:15):
As we wrap up, do you have any advice for
families regarding child careand educational development?
And then those sites.
What website is that and whatkind of checklists and?
Judith Sikora (20:24):
then those sites.
What website is that and whatkind of checklists?
Okay, the website ischildcarewareorg and if you
search, there's a parent portionin that website and in there
you can look up child careprogram checklists and they'll
have checklists.
There's a quick checklist.
The quick checklist is for ifyou have to make a quick change
in care absolutely what you needto look for, and there's also a
(20:46):
breakdown list based on agerange.
So there's infant and toddlerchecklist, there's a preschool
checklist and then there's abefore and after school care
checklist too.
Parents can go to that andreview as part of their
preparation before they go toindividual programs to check out
.
I think overall, we really haveto listen to our intuition.
(21:10):
How does it feel?
Does it feel friendly?
Does it feel welcoming?
Do people look at you and smile?
You know, and just get a goodoverview before you dig in and
you start looking at thosechecklists?
Or you're reviewing policiesand procedures because you know
your child best and a programthat respects that.
You know your child best.
(21:31):
That's what's to look for,because there'll be times when
you need to interact or theremay be some miscommunication and
you want to know that they willbe responsive and really hear
you.
That's part of shopping for aprogram.
Everyone can have great days.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (21:46):
Well, thank you so much for joining us today
and for sharing all of yourexpertise and practical guidance
with quality measures and whatto be asking.
Thank you.
Judith Sikora (21:56):
Well, thank you for having me, Lisa.
It's been a pleasure talking toyou.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (22:00):
If today's conversation helped clarify what
quality child care looks like.
Share this episode with someonewho might be starting their own
search.
If you have a story aboutwhat's working in your schools
that you'd like to share, youcan email me at lisa at
drlisahasslercom, or visit mywebsite at wwwdrlisahasslercom
(22:21):
and send me a message.
If you like this podcast,subscribe and tell a friend.
(22:47):
The more people that know, thebigger impact it will have,
thank you, affecting positivechange.
Judith Sikora (22:49):
So let's keep working together to find
solutions that focus on ourchildren's success.
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