Choosing Child Care
Choosing appropriate child care for your infant or young child can seem as overwhelming as helping your teenager select a college or university. As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your child is safe and happy in a child care environment that is fun, educational, and nurturing. Read on to learn how to go about making such an important decision.
Your Child and Family
About 70% of parents place their young children in some type of daily care. Whether you choose in-home or center-based care, a preschool, or someone else's home for your child's daily care setting, there are specific guidelines you should follow to be sure that your child is receiving quality, professional care suited to his developmental needs.
Most important in determining the type of care your child needs is to know your own child - his temperament, likes and dislikes, health, interests, and behavior. For an infant under 1 year of age, you need to give careful attention to your child's need to be nurtured and held, any special health needs, and the type of person you want to care for your child during the first year of his life. For an older child, his developing
Approximately 5% of the nannies applying for positions have criminal conviction records, reports the INA. "Undesirable care providers tend to gravitate toward positions offered through newspaper advertisements or to agencies who do not include background investigations, but no combination of checks is completely fail-safe, and parents should remain vigilant when it comes to their children's care," the INA advises.
Besides inquiring about training in early childhood development, you should also ask a potential nanny or au pair:
In evaluating the responses to your questions, carefully consider how his or her philosophy of child rearing, discipline, and nurturing meshes with your personal vision of how your child should be guided and cared for each day.
Finally, do you have a sense of trust in this person or program? Do you believe that your child will be happy and have the opportunity to learn and grow in this environment?
The Dependent Care Connection, a Connecticut agency that coordinates in-home child care, also advises that "if none of the candidates appear to offer what you are looking for, don't pick the best of the worst. Instead, review your job requirements, make any necessary adjustments, and begin your search again, wiser from the experience." You could also ask neighborhood parents or coworkers for recommendations.
In-Home Care
Some parents may prefer the one-on-one contact an in-home care provider can offer, especially for an infant. Parents or couples with full-time careers may find that their work schedules require them to hire an in-home care provider for their child. Trying to juggle overtime, business trips, and child care demands can be impossible without live-in help. If you do need to hire a nanny or enroll in an au pair program, seek the services of licensed agencies with experience placing nannies and au pairs.
An in-home care provider is employed by the family to care for a child in the child's own home. This includes a nanny, or someone who works on a live-in or live-out basis performing child care and perhaps some minimal household duties related to child care. Usually unsupervised during the day, the nanny has a workweek that is typically 40 to 60 hours. Nannies hired through agencies usually have minimal training in caring for young children.
An au pair also provides in-home care. An au pair lives with the family and cares for the child under the direct supervision of the parents. He or she often seeks work far away from home, as a kind of cultural learning experience. Au pairs often assist with light housework and work about 40 to 60 hours per week. Au pairs, who are typically young, may or may not have any child care training or experience.
The Fine Print
Once you've hired a caregiver, draw up a specific contract outlining expected duties, hours, salary, paid vacation, and sick leave; include parental obligations as part of that contract. Establish a review date within a few months to discuss how the arrangement is working and to fine-tune the agreement. Observe the caregiver's interaction with your child routinely and unexpectedly.
Warning Signs
Here are signs to look for if you suspect that your child is being mistreated:
- The caregiver has lied to you or stolen from you.
- He or she does not answer questions about the daily routine.
- You come home to find your child unsupervised.
- The caregiver does not respond to your child.
- Your child becomes moody or withdrawn or has problems eating or sleeping.
- Your child suddenly becomes upset when left with the caregiver.
- You simply have a bad feeling about the caregiver.
Parents should be sure the nanny or au pair has the support he or she needs to continue acting as a positive caregiver. He or she should have adequate time off and opportunities to meet other adult caregivers in the area. Parents should always be available by phone or beeper to answer emergency calls. In other words, work together and form a partnership for your child's care.
Out-of-Home Care
Out-of-home care includes day care centers, which are typically affiliated with a public or private agency such as a religious organization, corporation, or community center; family day care programs held in the caregiver's home; part-time child care programs such as preschools or play groups; and publicly funded preschool programs such as Head Start. These programs usually care for children from birth to age 5.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that one adult should have the primary responsibility for no more than one baby under 12 months of age in any care setting. These young children need positive, consistent caregivers who learn to recognize their unique cues for hunger, distress, and play. This kind of nurturing interaction contributes significantly to an infant's social and emotional growth. For infants, the AAP recommends a child to staff ratio of 3:1.
| The AAP guidelines for child care are: |
Age
Birth - 24 mos.
25 - 30 mos.
31 - 35 mos.
3 yrs.
4 - 5 yrs. |
Child:Staff
3:1
4:1
5:1
7:1
8:1 |
Max. group size
6
8
10
14
16 |
Homes and Centers
Day care homes offer child care in the caregiver's home, often with a single adult supervising the children. Center-based care includes day care centers and preschools employing several adults to care for larger groups of children.
In either case, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recommend that the home or agency is licensed and regularly inspected. Caregivers should have basic training in
Preschools, as the name indicates, provide an educational program for young children before starting kindergarten or elementary school. Many day care centers now also incorporate early childhood curricula into their programs. The NAEYC lists these 10 signs of a great preschool:
- Children spend most of their time playing and working with materials or with other children.
- Children have access to various activities throughout the day.
- Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day.
- The classroom is decorated with children's original artwork and projects.
- Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences.
- Children work on projects and have long periods of time to play and explore.
- Worksheets are used rarely, if at all.
- Children have an opportunity to play outside in a safe play area every day.
- Teachers read books to children individually or in small groups.
- Curricula are adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help.
- Children and their parents look forward to school.
Children With Special Needs
Federal law guarantees special education and related services to children with disabilities from birth through age 5. Special services such as speech and physical and occupational therapy can now be brought into day care centers or preschools so that children with special needs can be included in "regular" care settings.
Early intervention services can be coordinated through your local Office of Mental Health/Mental Retardation for children up to age 3 and through your state's Department of Education for ages 3 to 5.
At the End of the Day
After all your research, interviewing, and observing is done, you may need to reassure yourself that leaving your child in the care of someone else is what works best for your family.
Make the most of your time with your child. When you get home with your child at the end of the workday, keep your time free and easy. Give yourselves and your child time to relax and cuddle - that can be a wonderful interactive time and it reduces stress for the whole family.
It is also recommended that guilt-ridden parents use positive self-statements, such as "I am still a good mom or dad" and "My child is having wonderful experiences." Recognize the advantages of quality child care - children are developing relationships with other kids and learning give and take.
Daily reports about the child's day and frequent onsite visits can help you to track your child's progress and reassure you that your child is being nurtured and having fun.
Just as you need to feel confident in your child's caregivers, he needs time to adjust. Young infants, up to 7 months, generally adapt quickly to caring adults; older infants may suffer from "stranger anxiety" and need extra time and parental reassurance in adjusting to a new caregiver. Many toddlers and preschoolers typically go through adjustment periods involving tears, pouting, and tantrums as they settle in. Visits with you, favorite "lovies" (a familiar blanket or teddy bear, for example) in the child's backpack, and the reassurance that you will return at the end of the day can help him adapt to and enjoy his new care setting.
However, if your child is not happy and flourishing in child care, you need to reassess his needs and reevaluate his program or individual caregiver. Realize that bad days may happen from time to time; one bad day does not equal a bad day care facility or caregiver. But if problems persist, it is best to find another arrangement as soon as possible so that your child has a positive experience boosting his mental, physical, and social development, trust in other adults, and sense of self-worth.
Updated and reviewed by: Jennifer Shroff Pendley, PhD