Trying to find the right daycare/kindergarten (barnehage) for your child? Here are some pointers to help you make a decision that works best for you and your child.
Visit the daycare
Before filling out your daycare application form, you can visit the daycares that you’re thinking of putting down on the list. You can bring your child with you and ask the staff the questions you’ve got about the daycare. It’s also a good opportunity to get to know the daycare better – hearing about the daycare from others and seeing the daycare’s website is one thing, but personally being at the daycare can be another experience.
You can also visit a daycare when you’ve been notified that you’ve got a spot for your child to attend that particular daycare, whether or not it’s on the list of daycares you applied for. It’s best to ring the daycare to make an appointment to visit.
Proximity
When filling out your daycare form, try to find a place that you are happy with, but also relatively close to where you live or work. This can make pick-up and drop-off arrangements easier, especially if you do not drive – I’m sharing this from previous personal experience.
If you have been given a spot for your child to be in a familiebarnehage through a daycare that’s a little further away than what you’d hoped for, check if the actual location for your child is close to home. In a familiebarnehage, the main daycare base will be at a particular location, but your child will most likely be allocated to a small group of up to 3 children in which the team leader will have the group mainly in his/her home. So don’t rule out the option of familiebarnehage even if the base is further out than what you’d hoped for.
Security
When you visit a daycare, observe and ask about the child security measures. Here are some questions to consider:
- Is there a sign-in and sign-out process for parents or guardians dropping off and picking up their child?
- Is there at least 1 staff member near the main gate during pick-up and drop-off times?
- Are the daycare workers making the effort to get to know the parents/guardians of a child who just started at the daycare?
- If the parent/guardian appoints someone else (eg. friend, relative) to pick up the child, how does the daycare ensure that the right person picks up the right child?
A good daycare makes good measures for security, especially when it comes to protecting the child and avoiding potential mix-ups.
Safety
Check that the daycare is a safe environment for your child, particularly with regard to child-friendly furniture and safe toys. If an area is being refurbished or renovated, or if repairs are being made on a particular facility, check that the area is zoned off and not accessible to children. Check that there are enough daycare staff workers for children
While it’s the parents’ responsibility to provide weather-appropriate clothes and spare clothes for their children, it’s also up to the daycare staff to ensure that children do not remain cold and wet all day. It is important that children are in warm, dry clothes at all times while they are at daycare, especially during the winter.
Enjoyment
Does your child generally enjoy being at daycare? Does s/he feel personally safe with the daycare staff? You may notice the little things, such as when you arrive at daycare – that there’s someone who is there to greet your child and lead them to their group or area. Moreover, check that your child is in the company of other children and at least 1 supervising adult when you pick him/her up.
Conflicts
Watch how the daycare staff members handle conflicts that occur among children (eg. shouting, name-calling, hitting, biting, smacking, etc). It’s equally important that your child feels comfortable with their caregiver at daycare. You can watch the body language between your child and caregiver, and if your child is old enough to talk, listen to what s/he says. It’s always nice to know that your child is happy to be with the daycare staff.
Learning
Not all daycares have the same style of learning for children. Some daycares adopt the Reggio Emilia Approach, for example. Information on the daycare’s learning approach can usually be found on the daycare’s website, but you can also just ask one of the daycare staff. Check that the daycare’s learning approach works effectively for your child. It’s also good to see evidence of children’s work at daycare – anything from paintings and other forms of artwork to activity booklets.
Communication
It is important that daycares inform parents/guardians about upcoming events and activities, as well as their expectations of you, for example, if they need your help for social activities. Moreover, aside from scheduled parent-staff meetings, parents have a right to know what happens to their child throughout the year.
Here are some questions to think of when considering how a daycare communicates with parents/guardians:
- Accidents: If an accident involving my child occurs, how will the daycare communicate to me about the incident? Will it be through verbal or written communication or both? Will I be contacted straight after the incident occurs or will it take up to a few days for the daycare to contact me?
- Personal issues: If there’s an important personal issue concerning my child, does the daycare make immediate contact with me?
- Illnesses: What happens if some sort of illness or incident occurs, such as chicken pox, lice, or hand, foot and mouth disease? How will I be informed?
It’s important to feel comfortable with the staff at daycare in that you are free to ask questions about your child and be taken seriously.
Language development
Norwegian daycares are a great way for your child to learn Norwegian. If you wish to send your kids to a daycare that offers English, there are a few private preschools, including The Children’s House, The British International School of Stavanger, and the International School Stavanger.
Special support
If you have a child with special needs, it’s important to know that the Norwegian government wants daycares to give all children a supportive and arranged environment for care and learning. It is important for daycares to provide appropriate support to children who need special care. According to the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, several services and means must be coordinated, and different authorities and levels of administration must cooperate to give children with special needs necessary support. Check with your daycare, local kommune, or the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research for more information.
Related articles
Childcare & Preschool
Kindergartens (Barnehager) in the Stavanger Region
The International Pre-school
Raising Bilingual Children in Stavanger – A Personal Experience
External links
Ministry of Education and Research: Kindergarten (Barnehager)
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About Estelle Pettersen
Estelle is an Australian who has been living in Norway since June 2006. She is married to a Norwegian and has two children. She has worked in journalism, integrated marketing communications, and as a senior strategy consultant in both the public and private sectors. Estelle loves reading, writing, history, travelling and spending time with her family. She has written published material resulting from her studies (MBA) and her work. She wants to keep writing, learn new things, and improve her Norwegian skills.
