Finding child care that truly meets your family's needs is critical for your ability to be a working parent. It is one of the most important and difficult decisions working parents face.
Since locating high quality child care takes time, try to begin your search well in advance of when you will need care. Some programs have long waiting lists, so you may need to pre-enroll your child in more than one program. By Beginning Your Search for a Provider early, you'll allow yourself time to make a final decision that works for your family.
Selecting the right kind of care for your child is a very personal decision. You should feel confident that your child's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs are understood and met by the program you select. Don't hesitate to ask questions and express any concerns you may have about a program. Gather as much information about the program as you can by clearly expressing your needs and expectations, arranging visits to observe program activities at different times of the day, asking the provider for the names and phone numbers of enrolled parents, and calling those parents.
Few child care programs will provide everything you may desire and most parents will need to make some trade-offs in choosing child care. Ideally, the child care you choose should offer three basic benefits to you and your child: a safe and healthy place for children; caring people who have experience with the needs of children and working parents; and a convenient, stable, and affordable arrangement with operating hours that match your work schedule.
There are three basic kinds of child care arrangements: in-home care, family day care, and center care. In in-home care, a child is cared for at your residence or that of a relative, friend, or another family. Family day care providers, with the assistance of one aide, may care for up to 12 children in their homes. Child care centers and pre-schools provide care in a facility used primarily for child care.
Here are some common choices by age-group:
Infants:
Under age 18 months, are primarily cared for in individual in-home arrangements, parent cooperatives, small family day care homes, and infant care centers.Toddlers:
Ages 18 to 33 months, are usually cared for in the same settings as infants, though they require more space and a differently equipped environment. Part-time working parents may also become involved in organized play groups.
Preschoolers:
Ages 2 years 9 months to 5 years, most often attend family day care homes, child care centers, pre-schools, or parent cooperative nursery schools. Parents may also combine one of these programs with the services of an in-home care provider. (Many programs will only accept children after they are toilet-trained.)
School-Age Children:
Ages 5 to 12+ years, most often attend before and after-school child care centers, family day care homes, or recreation programs (on or off the school site) during the school year and recreation programs and day camps in the summer.