Choosing the right child care provider is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make. Children begin to learn long before kindergarten, and the kind of child care they have prior to that can make a big difference in their academic performance. For older kids, the right child care provider is just as important during these formative years.
Here's a helpful checklist to help you choose a child care provider.
1. Space for Your Child
Is there an opening for your child? This is an important first question, whether you are contacting an individual or child care facility. There's no use wasting time on other queries if they are not taking any new children.
2. Adult to Child Ratio
What is the ratio of adults to children? If you're going with a home-based caregiver, find out if he/she has children at home as well. If it's a family of six kids, adding more children can push the ratio out of balance. The same is true for a commercial facility. A rough guideline is this: there should be 1 adult for every:
* 4 newborns
* 5 infants from 6 weeks to 18 months
* 8 preschoolers
* 10 children aged 5 to 9
* 20 children aged 10 to 12
Again, this is a rough guideline. Your local regulations may differ, and your personal requirements may be different also.
3. Find Out about Violations and Complaints
Contact your local child care information agency regarding a provider's record of complaints and/or violations. If there are some complaints, it pays to do your research - there might be violations in the past that are no longer an issue, for example, or that have gotten worse instead.
4. Do an Internet Search for Reviews
When you have several names of providers, type them into your search engine with the word "reviews." This can yield a lot of information.
5. Food
Small children need to eat frequently, and babies do too. Ask about the food policies of the child care provider. If you demand-feed your infant, will the provider do the same? If you take a more scheduled approach, will the child care provider respect that? For older kids, you'll want to ask about the kind of food that's served and how often. Find out if there are provisions made for kids with food allergies.
6. Hours
Make sure the hours of the provider fit with yours. If there are scheduling problems or delays in pick-up times, ask about the provider's policy in case you're late or early with pick-up or drop-off.
7. Credentials and References
Ask for references and credentials. The provider should be glad to give you the contact information of individuals who have used their services. Ask about licensing, accreditation, and how long the provider has been in business.
Above all, sit down and make a list of things that are important to you and your family in choosing a child care provider. You may have specifications that are not standard, and those are still important. So having a master list helps a lot in keeping you grounded during your research.
Here's a helpful checklist to help you choose a child care provider.
1. Space for Your Child
Is there an opening for your child? This is an important first question, whether you are contacting an individual or child care facility. There's no use wasting time on other queries if they are not taking any new children.
2. Adult to Child Ratio
What is the ratio of adults to children? If you're going with a home-based caregiver, find out if he/she has children at home as well. If it's a family of six kids, adding more children can push the ratio out of balance. The same is true for a commercial facility. A rough guideline is this: there should be 1 adult for every:
* 4 newborns
* 5 infants from 6 weeks to 18 months
* 8 preschoolers
* 10 children aged 5 to 9
* 20 children aged 10 to 12
Again, this is a rough guideline. Your local regulations may differ, and your personal requirements may be different also.
3. Find Out about Violations and Complaints
Contact your local child care information agency regarding a provider's record of complaints and/or violations. If there are some complaints, it pays to do your research - there might be violations in the past that are no longer an issue, for example, or that have gotten worse instead.
4. Do an Internet Search for Reviews
When you have several names of providers, type them into your search engine with the word "reviews." This can yield a lot of information.
5. Food
Small children need to eat frequently, and babies do too. Ask about the food policies of the child care provider. If you demand-feed your infant, will the provider do the same? If you take a more scheduled approach, will the child care provider respect that? For older kids, you'll want to ask about the kind of food that's served and how often. Find out if there are provisions made for kids with food allergies.
6. Hours
Make sure the hours of the provider fit with yours. If there are scheduling problems or delays in pick-up times, ask about the provider's policy in case you're late or early with pick-up or drop-off.
7. Credentials and References
Ask for references and credentials. The provider should be glad to give you the contact information of individuals who have used their services. Ask about licensing, accreditation, and how long the provider has been in business.
Above all, sit down and make a list of things that are important to you and your family in choosing a child care provider. You may have specifications that are not standard, and those are still important. So having a master list helps a lot in keeping you grounded during your research.