Beginning Your Search for a Provider
There are a number of ways to locate child care providers. One is to ask your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about their child care arrangements. Another way is to contact The Children's Resource and Referral Program (805-962-8988 in Santa Barbara, 805-925-1989 in Santa Maria). This program provides listings of licensed family child care providers and after-school programs. They also offer free licensing workshops for people interested in becoming licensed child-care providers. There is a toy lending program and reference library. All services are free.Although resource and referral agencies can give you names of potential providers and services that are available to you, they generally do not visit all child care centers or family day care homes and cannot recommend particular programs or otherwise rate quality-this judgment rests with you.
Once you have identified several possible programs, use the telephone
to eliminate services that don't fit your needs and requirements.
The timing of your phone call is important. If you call during the
lunch hour when care givers are feeding the children, or at the
end of the day when parents are arriving to pick them up, the person
who answers the phone may not have the time to adequately address
your questions. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon hours are often the
best times to call child care centers. Family day care providers
can also be reached in the evening.
Visit any program you are seriously considering for your child.
When visiting, observe carefully to see how your child might fit
into this setting. Although it may be fine to take an infant on
these initial visits, wait until you've limited your choices to
one or two programs before taking a toddler or preschooler along,
to avoid confusing them needlessly. Programs may have established
visiting procedures for parents and children.
The First Phone Call - What to Ask
Introduce yourself and indicate who referred you to the program. Ask if there is an opening for your child. If not, ask if there is a waiting list and how long the wait may be. State your needs clearly and describe your child's age and specific needs. Be realistic about the hours of care that you require (include your travel time to and from work). Determine the size of the group, the ages of the children, and the adult-to-child ratio. This is important, because infants and toddlers will receive more attention if the group is small. Pre-school and school-age children often thrive in larger groups with more opportunities for social interaction.Ask specific questions and discuss concerns which may help you to screen out situations that won't work for you. Ask about fees and contract arrangements. Ask about the provider's holiday/vacation schedule. If you are seriously considering a program, schedule a time during operating hours to visit and speak with the provider or staff in more depth.