Important Information for Parents Sending Their Kids to Daycare
Parents only want what’s best for their kids. And as a parent, you send your child to daycare with hopes that they’re being treated well and doing activities that promote learning and development. An important part of the day-to-day at childcare centers involves activity plans. So today, we want to talk about what activity plans are – and the scary signs of neglect when they aren’t being followed. According to the state’s minimum standards, daycares must create an activity plan for the children in their care. But what exactly is an activity plan?
What's an Activity Plan at Daycare?
The definition outlined in the Texas minimum standards says an activity plan is:
“A written plan that outlines the daily routine and activities in which a group of children will engage while in your care. The plan is designed to meet the children’s cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical developmental strengths and needs.”
According to the minimum standards, activity plans must include all of the children in the group, regardless of special care needs, identify the group the activity is planned for, outline specific daily activities, and include sufficient time for activities and routines so that children can progress at their own developmental rate
Plans might include activities like:
- Outdoor play time (if the weather permits it)
- Group playtime
- Child-initiated activities
- Caregiver-initiated activities
- Meal and snack times
- And supervised nap or rest times
Additionally, daycares are required to post the activity plans where parents can see them. Activity plans must be kept up for Licensing and parents to see for at least three months. It’s important that daycares provide and publish these activity plans for a couple of reasons.
First, it gives caregivers guidelines on what to do throughout the day and keeps kids on a regular schedule. It’s important that activities and meals are planned in advance, as different age groups require different activities and foods.
Second, it allows parents to know about the day-to-day of what their child will be doing while at daycare. Developmental and learning activities are an important part of a child’s growth, and seeing that the daycare is implementing those can give parents peace of mind. It’s also important for parents to know planned activity information, as it can help them identify when something is off with their child.
Red Flags: When Daycares Neglect to Create and Share Activity Plans With Parents
If children are not following the planned activities, this may be a red flag, as it could mean that the daycare is cutting corners on their responsibilities. Daycares must be transparent about caregiving and activity practices. If they are avoiding sharing important information, like activity plans, they may be trying to hide staffing or supervision problems. We want parents to know what red flags to look out for in negligent daycares and what can be seen in good daycares.
We share more about what to look for in good daycares in our free guide, 10 Tips for Finding a Safe Daycare, linked here. If you have any questions for our team, be sure to reach out to us. We’re here to keep you and your family moving forward.
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