Finding High Quality Child Care

 (And what does that mean anyway?) 

"High quality childcare" means that a provider is committed to offering the best service that they can to families.  Often times they will go above and beyond what is expected of them in order to enrich the lives of the children in their care.  Providers such as this, understand that a child's early years are critical to their overall learning and they are knowledgeable about child development. Providers offering high quality childcare are committed to ensuring children are surrounded by care, love, acceptance, and a safe, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate environment. 

Other indicators of high quality care are; clear understandable policies and contracts,  adequate space and supplies,  and age appropriate educational activities.  Equally important is a structured schedule offering time for free play, outdoor play, individual and group activities, quiet/ rest times, and reading/ story times.

Finding a quality child care for your family isn't impossible but it does take some work. Start your search by checking with your local social services agency to get a list of licensed child care providers in your area. This is just a starting place! You will still have to call and set up visits and interviews.

Check with friends and relatives to find out if they can recommend anyone (word of mouth recommendations are usually a good source of information.)  Again, this is a starting place. Visit ALL prospective providers so you can get a feel for what their programs are really like.

Contact a local resource and referral agency if you have one in your area. They will usually be able to offer specific details about providers from rates to policy information. Many of these agencies offer their services free of charge and have online searchable data bases. It is important to note: these referral agencies do not "recommend" anyone! They simply collect information to share with parents. You must do the work to check each one out personally. The nice thing about these services though, is they can often generate a smaller list for you to start with that meets your needs such as, what hours the daycare is open and what ages of children they care for.

Another source is the local childcare association. Ask them to provide you with a list of their members. Providers who take the time to be active in their associations are usually interested in promoting high quality care for children. Many of these organizations offer specialized training and classes to child care providers to help raise the quality level of their programs.

Once you have located some daycare providers that you may be interested in call and set up appointments and check them all out personally!

Print out this Check List to see some of the things to look at when interviewing and visiting daycares. Ask lots of questions and above all TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!

If you don't feel totally comfortable with a provider then keep searching. Ask lots of questions, and don't be afraid to request a trial period. Many providers have them in their contracts and policies anyway! A trial period lets you or the provider cancel the contract during a certain period of time if either of you feel it is not working out.

Be sure you read the contracts and policies carefully. Ask questions if you don't understand something. Please remember, good providers take their job seriously and maintain a high level of professionalism. They deserve your respect and adherence to their policies. That means do be late! Don't forget the checkbook on payday, and don't assume they "just watch kids all day because they have nothing better to do." This is simply not true. Childcare providers are providing families with an essential service and most do so with the utmost admiration for you and your child. They deserve the same respect in return.