After touring several licensed daycares in Coquitlam, many parents find it difficult to articulate what separates genuinely excellent care from merely adequate care. Both may have similar licensing, similar stated philosophies, and similar physical spaces. The difference often comes down to observable behaviors and practices that only become clear when you know what to look for. Here are five signs that a licensed infant or toddler daycare is operating at a genuinely high level.
Sign 1: Caregivers Are at Child Level — Always
In a high-quality infant and toddler setting, educators don’t stand over children or watch from across the room. They are consistently at the child’s physical level: on the floor with infants, crouching or sitting with toddlers, making eye contact at the child’s face rather than looking down.
This posture is not incidental — it’s the physical expression of the educator’s attention being directed toward the child. It enables eye contact (which infants require for serve-and-return), enables the educator to read subtle cues, and signals to the child that the adult is genuinely present and engaged.
When you tour, observe: where are the educators’ bodies? If caregivers are consistently standing, moving around, or cleaning during your visit rather than being physically present with children on the floor, that’s meaningful information.
Sign 2: Staff Talk to Babies All Day Long
Language narration — the constant running commentary on what’s happening — is one of the most developmentally powerful practices in infant care. “I’m going to pick you up now.” “Oh, you’re looking at the window — that’s the sunshine.” “Your diaper is wet. Let’s get you changed. Here we go.” “You’re pushing that block — it went far, didn’t it?”
This narration is not just conversation filler. It is the primary mechanism of vocabulary development, language comprehension, and the brain’s language-processing architecture. Caregivers who narrate constantly are directly building infant brains.
On your tour, listen to how caregivers interact with children during caregiving routines. Is there a running vocal engagement? Or is the room quiet during care tasks?
Sign 3: Staff Turnover Is Low
Staff consistency is one of the most important quality indicators in infant and toddler care — and one of the hardest to observe during a single tour. You need to ask directly: “What is your staff turnover? Have the caregivers in the infant room been here long?”
The reason turnover matters so much for infants: secure attachment to a small number of consistent caregivers is the primary predictor of positive outcomes in group care. A 9-month-old who is cycling through different caregivers every few months cannot form the secure secondary attachment relationships that make group care developmentally positive. High staff turnover is associated with worse outcomes across virtually every quality metric in early childhood care.
Warning sign: if the answer to “how long have your current infant room staff been here?” is “a few months” across the board, that’s a meaningful concern.
Sign 4: The Daily Report Is Specific, Not Generic
Most licensed daycares provide some form of daily report — a record of feeding, sleep, and diaper changes. High-quality centres go significantly further: the report includes specific observations about what the child did, engaged with, or explored during the day. “Ella spent 20 minutes at the water table today — she was pouring the water back and forth between two containers and seemed very focused. She also waved at Marcus when he came into the room, which was new!” vs. “Good day. Ate well, slept, happy.”
The specificity of the daily report tells you whether the educators are genuinely observing and knowing your child, or managing a group and filling in checkboxes. Ask to see a sample report.
Sign 5: The Director Can Answer “Why” Questions Specifically
Any director can describe their program in appealing terms: “we’re play-based,” “we have great staff,” “we prioritize relationships.” High-quality directors can explain the why behind their practices with specificity: “We follow individual routines for infants because the research on group-imposed schedules shows increased cortisol in infants who are made to wait for feeding.” “We limit our group sizes below the regulatory maximum because the ratio allows educators to spend more time in serve-and-return interactions.”
This specificity indicates a director who has genuine knowledge and conviction about best practice — not just marketing language. Ask “why” during your tour: “Why do you do it this way?” and listen to the depth of the answer.
At Smiling Kids Childcare Centre
We welcome the parent who tours with this checklist. Our educators work at child level. Our caregivers narrate constantly. Our current team has been stable for multiple years. Our daily reports include specific observations. And we can answer “why” with depth. Book a tour and see it yourself — 604-600-4393.
Also see: How to Compare Licensed Daycares in Coquitlam: The Complete Checklist.
Smiling Kids provides ITE-credentialed infant daycare in Coquitlam for babies 0–18 months — primary caregiver model, responsive care, CCFRI participating. Complete daycare guide: daycare Coquitlam.
