Quick Facts...
· Know available options in your area.
· Determine your needs: hours, days, transportation, location to work and home, cost, special attention, and type of care desired.
· Begin the search for possible care options through friends, other parents, licensing agency, doctors' offices, resource and referral agencies, social services offices, newspapers, and community groups.
· Inquire about facility licensing.
· After selecting the child care arrangement of your choice, make periodic random visits to see if your child's needs are met.
Today more than ever, children spend a large number of their waking hours with adults other than their parents. A growing concern facing working parents is how to select the child-care arrangement that meets their needs and the needs of the child, and corresponds to their value system.
Child care choices are based on many factors: cost, convenience, quality and benefits to the child. The primary options for child care are in-home, day care homes and day care centers.
Start looking as far in advance as you can. Whether you are considering a child care center or care in someone else’s home- finding the right child care option can take time.
Making child-care arrangements is often time consuming and many centers and home have waiting lists. It is a good idea to make child-care arrangements three to six months in advance. Give yourself enough time to explore available options and weigh the advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunate errors can result from quick decisions with little investigation.
One of the most important considerations is to select a licensed day-care home or child-care center. Question potential providers about their license (if one is not posted), activities for children, daily schedule, menu selections, disciplinary practices, frequency of household visitors, nature of visits, personal habits (i.e. smoking, drinking), and drivers who transport children. In addition, ask how many children there are for each adult. The fewer the childeren for each adult, the better for your child. Babies an adult to child ratio of no more than 1:4 (one adult for 4 infants), while 4-year olds can do well with a ratio of 1:10 (one adult for 10 children).
Observe facilities for health and safety concerns that are important to you. Talk to present and past customers (parents). Find out if they are, or were, satisfied.
The time spent searching for and choosing arrangements will pay off in peace of mind to be experienced later. Regardless of the child care you decide on, remember to make sure the caregiver loves and enjoys children and understands how they learn and grow.
Child care choices are based on many factors: cost, convenience, quality and benefits to the child. The primary options for child care are in-home, day care homes and day care centers.
Start looking as far in advance as you can. Whether you are considering a child care center or care in someone else’s home- finding the right child care option can take time.
Making child-care arrangements is often time consuming and many centers and home have waiting lists. It is a good idea to make child-care arrangements three to six months in advance. Give yourself enough time to explore available options and weigh the advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunate errors can result from quick decisions with little investigation.
One of the most important considerations is to select a licensed day-care home or child-care center. Question potential providers about their license (if one is not posted), activities for children, daily schedule, menu selections, disciplinary practices, frequency of household visitors, nature of visits, personal habits (i.e. smoking, drinking), and drivers who transport children. In addition, ask how many children there are for each adult. The fewer the childeren for each adult, the better for your child. Babies an adult to child ratio of no more than 1:4 (one adult for 4 infants), while 4-year olds can do well with a ratio of 1:10 (one adult for 10 children).
Observe facilities for health and safety concerns that are important to you. Talk to present and past customers (parents). Find out if they are, or were, satisfied.
The time spent searching for and choosing arrangements will pay off in peace of mind to be experienced later. Regardless of the child care you decide on, remember to make sure the caregiver loves and enjoys children and understands how they learn and grow.
Key questions that a parent should ask are as follows:
- Is the center state licensed? Look for the license.
- Have background checks been conducted on the staff
- Have the staff received CPR training?
- What are the emergency procedures regarding immediate care for child and parent contact? Is there a written manual.
- What health and safety measures do they take? Is the place child-proofed? Is the playground fenced in? Are all hazardous materials out of reach of children? Are windows and doors securely locked? Do members of the staff wash hands regularly? Is the facility regularly inspected?
- What is the staff turnover rate?
- Who is the contact person for the center if you have a problem or question
- How do you communicate with parents?
- What is the philosophy of the center and its staff?
- What is the child-staff ratio?
- What is the age range of children?
- How many years do the children stay at the center?
- Is there supervision at all times including nap time?
- What activities are provided?
- What is the time for structured vs. unstructured play?
- Do they ever take children off-site?
- How do they handle diapering and toilet training?
- How is feeding handled?
- What are the fees for service?
- How long has the center been in business?
- Do stated fees cover all costs or will there be hidden charges?
- What is the payment policy?
- What are the policies if the child is sick?
- How is vacation handled?
- What is earliest for drop off and latest for pick up -- are schedules flexible?
- Can parents drop in anytime?
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