0
0
Finding the right daycare for your family’s needs can be overwhelming, stressful, and down-right discouraging. As if the thought of returning to work months (sometimes even weeks) after delivering an entire human isn’t daunting enough, adding on the thoughts of a leaving your tiny, completely dependent human in the care of someone outside of your immediate circle and more importantly DURING A PANDEMIC sometimes is more frightening than giving birth!
But pandemic or not, the same rules apply in searching for one. Here are some tips to help you begin the process and narrow down the best choice for your family.
Decide on the Facility– Daycare options are considered as centers or in-home daycare. Centers are usually state-operated, in a commercial building or property, with children ranging in age from 6 weeks-5 years old.
Is i run by a Center Director? Or owner who is responsible for managing the various childcare providers servicing the children? Centers generally incorporate academic and age-appropriate learning activities into their programming as it is mandated by the state. In-home daycares can be state-operated (depending on the rules and regulations of your state) and are smaller than centers. Similarly, children can range in age from 6 weeks-5 years old. Due to the smaller size, the daycare owner typically serves as the primary childcare provider and may have an assistant depending on the ratio.
Programming-Although not always required, especially if not state-operated, in-home daycare facilities may incorporate learning activities and age-appropriate learning activities. Deciding on a facility is totally dependent on your family’s preferences for childcare needs, price point, and programming. Before my daughter was born, I initially decided on a center as I felt more comfortable with the accountability reinforced by state regulations. In retrospect, having spent the last year and a half getting to know my daughter, I would have opted for in-home daycare options as her personality thrives more in smaller environments.
Sift Through the Abundance to Find Quality- We live in a society of abundance! If you want a burger, you can drive down a major street and find at least 4 different burger joints. Abundance also lives in the world of childcare. There are so many options available to parents, especially if you live in a major city. The wealth of options does not mean that they are all of the quality to meeting your childcare needs. Before returning to work, I researched at least 20 different daycare facilities and visited at least 10. It was overwhelming to say the least, especially considering that we ended up paying a registration fee to 3 of them, only to send her to the first one we
toured. Research as many facilities as you please, but narrow your search down to visit and give a quality interview to no more than 5 facilities. This process allows you to spend time getting to truly know the people and operations of your narrowed down list, ultimately aiding in making a more informed decision.
Take Your Time Getting to Know Your Facility
Once you have narrowed your list down to at least 2 options, visit as many times as you can, at different points of the day, for expected and unexpected visits, with and without your child. Before visiting, generate a list of questions to ask. Questions should be based on your child’s current needs as well a what you might anticipate as they grow. For example, are you allowed to pack their own meals once they begin eating solid food or what age will they begin assisting with potty training? You also want to
ask more detailed questions about the facility’s management such as what is their plan to maintain compliance for child-to-teacher ratios or what vendor do they use for their meal service.
While visiting, be sure to visit the room (s) or area that your child will be in For in-home facilities where children remain in the same room or area, inquire about the provider’s plan to differentiate the space by age-appropriateness. If possible, make connections with parents and ask them to describe their overall experiences with the
facility. This will provide a broader perspective of the daycare and provide one more piece of information to help your family make the decision
In the end, finding a childcare provider is a serious task that should be considered with full attention.
Trusting your gut feeling along with these tips will provide you with a starting place to begin your search!
