How to Choose a Daycare: A Parent's Checklist

How to choose a daycare?

Dr. Verna Benjamin Lambert

To choose a daycare, start with what your family needs, confirm the program is licensed by Georgia's Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), tour it in person and ask direct questions about teachers, safety and the daily routine. The right daycare is the one that's licensed, close enough to keep, run by caring adults you trust and aligned with the values you're raising your child with.

That's the short version. Here's the full checklist we'd hand a friend in Vinings, Smyrna or anywhere in Cobb County who's starting the search.

Step 1: Know what your family needs

Before you look at a single website, get clear on four things. It saves hours of tours that were never going to work.

Your child's age: Infant rooms, toddler rooms and preschool classrooms look very different. If you're still deciding on timing, our guide to the best age to start daycare walks through each stage.
Your schedule and commute: Map the drive at rush hour, not on a Sunday. A daycare near Cumberland that works on paper can feel very different at 5:30 p.m.
Your budget: Ask every program for its full tuition and what's included, like meals, activities and supplies.
Your values: Do you want a faith based program, a play based one, a strong arts focus or a more academic feel? There's no wrong answer, but knowing it narrows the list fast.

Daycare, preschool or something else?

Parents often ask how to choose a preschool versus a daycare, and the lines blur. Many centers, including ours, offer both full day care and a real curriculum under one roof. Our overview of the types of early childhood programs explains the main options side by side.

Step 2: Check Georgia licensing with DECAL

In Georgia, child care learning centers are licensed and monitored by DECAL, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Licensing is the floor, not the ceiling, but it's the first thing to confirm.

DECAL's Child Care Services page points parents to its provider search and says licensing reports for child care programs are available there. It also links to an enforcement actions search and lists a toll free phone line for help finding care.

As of 2026, Georgia also runs a newer family portal called DECAL FAST (Family Access to Services and Tools). DECAL announced the portal on July 9, 2026 as a way for families to find information and connect with early care and education services, and it lives at families.decal.ga.gov.

Read the reports for every program on your shortlist. One minor citation that was fixed quickly isn't a red flag. A pattern of the same issue is.

Step 3: Tour every daycare on your shortlist

A website can show you a curriculum. Only a visit shows you how teachers talk to children.

Go during a normal weekday morning if you can, when classrooms are busy. Watch more than you listen. Are teachers down on the floor with kids, or standing at the edge of the room? Do children look comfortable going to adults for help? Does the room feel calm, even when it's loud?

In our experience, most parents know within the first ten minutes whether a place feels right. Trust that, and then check it with the questions below.

Questions to ask on a daycare tour

Bring this list and take notes. These daycare questions to ask cover the things parents most often wish they'd checked before enrolling.

Is your center licensed by DECAL, and can I see your most recent inspection report?
What training do your teachers have, and are they certified in CPR and First Aid?
Do all staff complete background checks?
How many children and adults are in my child's classroom on a typical day?
How long have the teachers in this room been here?
What does a typical day look like, hour by hour?
What is your curriculum, and how does it change as children get older?
How do you handle discipline and big feelings?
What do children eat, and how do you handle allergies?
How do you communicate with parents during the day?
What is your sick policy, and when do you send a child home?
Can I visit or call during the day once my child is enrolled?

If the answers are vague, ask again. A good program is happy to explain how it works.

How to compare daycares after your tours

Once you've toured two or three programs, put them side by side. A simple scorecard keeps the decision about your child instead of whichever tour happened last.

How a parent might evaluate Benjamin Prep with this checklist

We'd rather you hold us to the same checklist you use everywhere else. Here's what we can tell you plainly.

Licensing: Benjamin Preparatory School is licensed by DECAL. You can look us up the same way you'd look up any other center.
Teachers: Our teachers are CDA qualified caregivers trained in CPR and First Aid, and staff complete background checks. They're faith filled educators who follow a written doctrinal statement.
Ages: We serve children from 6 weeks old through 2nd grade, with classes built for each stage, from the Tiny Dreamers infant suite to Show Kids at 4 to 5. See all of our programs by age.
Daily routine: Each day includes faith, academics through our STEAM+ curriculum, performing arts like tap, ballet and music, and daily physical activity.
Food: A whole foods menu is included.
Values: We're a non denominational Christian childcare center. Age appropriate praise, worship and Bible study are part of the daily routine, along with regular chapel.

Some things you'll want to ask us directly, like tuition, hours and classroom sizes, because those details are best answered in person for your child's age. Honestly, a faith centered, arts heavy program isn't every family's first choice, and that's okay. If it is what you're looking for, the best next step is to schedule a tour of our Vinings campus and bring your question list.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important thing when choosing a daycare?

The most important thing is the quality of the caregivers. Licensing, safety and curriculum all matter, but your child spends the day with the adults in the room. Watch how teachers talk to children on your tour, and ask how long they've been at the center.

How do I check if a daycare is licensed in Georgia?

Start with the provider search on DECAL's Child Care Services site, which DECAL says is where parents can find licensing reports for child care programs. The newer DECAL FAST family portal is another place to find care information. If a center can't point you to its license, keep looking.

How many daycares should I tour?

Most families tour two to four daycares. That's enough to compare without getting overwhelmed. Tour at least two so you have something to measure against.

When should I start looking for a daycare?

Start several months before you need care, and earlier for infants. Infant rooms often fill first, and tours take time to schedule. Starting early also means you're choosing, not settling.

How do I choose a preschool versus a daycare?

Start with your child's age and your schedule, then look at the curriculum. Many centers in metro Atlanta offer full day care with a structured preschool curriculum, so you may not have to pick one or the other. Ask how learning changes as children move up through each class.

Is Benjamin Preparatory School the right fit for your family?

If you're working through this checklist for a child between 6 weeks and 2nd grade, we'd be glad to answer every question on it in person.

Benjamin Preparatory School is a Christian preschool and daycare in the Vinings area of Atlanta at 2445 Church Rd SE, Atlanta, GA 30339, serving children from 6 weeks old through 2nd grade. Each school day blends faith, STEAM+ academics and daily performing arts like tap, ballet, music and drama, and a whole foods menu is included. Families in Vinings, Smyrna, Cumberland, Mableton and northwest Atlanta choose Benjamin Prep so their children can grow in faith, learning and confidence in one place. Families driving in from Marietta or Kennesaw are welcome too, and a tour is the easiest way to see whether the commute and the fit work for you.

Schedule a tour of our Vinings campus, get directions, see our programs by age, or call (770) 436-5200 to talk with our team.

About the author: Dr. Verna Benjamin-Lambert

Dr. Verna R. Benjamin-Lambert, known to families as "Dr. Benji," is the founder of Benjamin Preparatory School, which she started as The Benjamin Preschool of Academic and Performing Arts in Smyrna, Georgia. She holds a doctorate in education leadership from Nova Southeastern University and is a graduate of St. Joseph's Teachers' College in Jamaica. Before founding the school, she served as an administrator in a Georgia school system, where she advocated for students who were falling behind academically.

Dr. Benji is also an author. Her book Health Intelligence: The Path to a Healthier You looks at the core issues behind childhood obesity, and her Healthy Benji children's books help young readers build healthy eating habits. One belief guides every classroom at Benjamin Prep: "Every child has a soul, and every soul has a purpose."

Meet Dr. Benji and browse her books.