Choosing Child Care

Congratulations! You've just had a baby - or are about to have one soon. How great to experience the wonder of everything new. Yet the wonder of where this newborn will go when you return to work probably isn't so wonderful. While you're dealing with being a new parent, thinking about what's happening and work, stressing about leaving your precious child with a stranger is unsettling.

The good news is that there are a number of things you can do to alleviate much of the uncertainty and worry associated with finding child care for your new baby.

First, determine what type of care is best for your family: family care (a small setting in someone's home); center based care; or in home care. Are you working non-traditional hours? Do you want someone who is bilingual? Ask your friends, neighbors, colleagues at work, ob/gyn, pediatrician for referrals. Your company may have a resource and referral service that can help with your search. And if your company doesn't, your state may have a referral service.

Try the following tips when choosing a child care provider:

1. Interview - by phone and in person.
2. Visit more than once; once when the children are awake and active, once perhaps at the beginning or end of the day to see how families are greeted or when staff and children are changing activities.
3. Ask lots of questions; nothing is too silly or dumb. If you're not treated respectfully, this person or program is not for you! Remember, you're the important partner in this new caregiving relationship. You'll need to be able to share your baby's likes and dislikes, schedules, and personality. Ask how long staff have been there. You'd like to have your child with the same caregiver for at least a year as this is the time children are learning to build trust. Ask what kind of education and special training the staff have and what they do for ongoing professional development. Ask about the ratio of children to adults. How many children are in a group? Is smoking allowed? What about pets? Are they accredited by a national accrediting body?
4. Call several references. What did other families experience? How long were they with that caregiver? What unsettled them about that caregiver? What did the children do with that caregiver?
5. If choosing out of home care, choose licensed care. At least you'll know there's an inspection and a set of regulations that should be followed.
6. Observe, observe, observe. Are the children happy? Clean? Are the staff interacting with the children? Do the staff seem happy? Is the site clean? Use your senses: sight, sound, smell, touch.
7. Trust your own intuition - go with your gut.
8. Child care is not just custodial. Yes, your biggest concern is that your child is safe while you’re at work or school, but you also want your child growing physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. There are activities that infants need to be involved with while they are growing. Did you know that an infant is born with all the brain cells she'll ever need? And that 90% of his brain will grow in the first year? These brain cells need to be consistently stimulated to make permanent connections. Activities, however, need to be appropriate for your child’s age.
9. Ask about schedules: napping, feeding, activities, reading to children. How are routines handled? Diapering? Handwashing?

If your child has special needs, talk with providers about how those needs can be met and whether they can make reasonable accommodations.

Enjoy your baby and your baby’s growing experiences. Work with your child care provider to support your child AND your family.

Editorial provided by Judy Goldfarb at Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative.