Ask about nutrition of meals and snacks. Look for staffers on the floor, interacting with children on the children's level. Quality child care programs generally have more staff than is legally required. Ask whether you can visit at any time and what type of communication the provider provides daily to parents about their children. They can pick a 375-child center or a home setting with three children.
Resources are available to parents to determine the quality of care wherever they choose.
Visitor logs at the state building on Victoria Avenue in Fort Myers show only about 15 people a month read files. Child Care of Southwest Florida's free resource and referral information for parents. Counselors query a database of centers and family homes based on information such as location, cost and other needs. The non-profit agency handles about 250 searches a month. Web sites from accrediting organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children that provide searches by zip code.