Child care services provide caring for kids in different ways and these include care at their home or babysitting, in an organized child care center, and in a provider’s home.
There are two main types of services:
1) Center-based and family-based which are provided by persons paid to do these jobs such as pre-school teachers, nannies or babysitters.
2) Caregivers
The most common and convenient child care service is babysitting which is an occasional temporary care during the absence of the child’s parents. If the kid is at least three years old, many parents enroll them in pre-schools or in day care centers. However, there are also several day care centers which admit infants and toddlers ages one or two especially in centers and services provided by the parent’s company or within the building of a parent’s working place.
The first two things which you need to consider are the amount you can afford to pay and your child’s safety. You need to consider other things apart from these two. These are the following:
* Convenience: While choosing day care services, you need to take into consideration the location too. If you are comfortable with it, you need to find about the hours they are willing to care for your child and whether those hours work well around your own working schedule.
* Safety: You can find out how safe the day care service is by checking its licensing. You can also talk to the person in charge and ensure that all the day care providers know how to handle emergencies and are well trained in first aid and CPR. If you want to double check, you then ask for references.
* Staff: Since children require individual attention, find out if there are enough staff members to take care for the number of the children which come to the day care service.
* Facilities: When you visit the day care service, look around and see if they have an outside area where the children can play and if that area is shaded and has enough material and equipment. Inspect the equipment to find out whether they are in good condition and whether children can reach them.
* Programs: Before you make your decision, ask for timetable as this will give you information about your child’s daily routine. If you are interested, you could also enquire about whether parents’ can be involved in providing and planning the program.
* Transportation: Find out if the day care service has transportation. If they do, ask what their policy is regarding infants. Ask to see the vehicle they use for transportation and while doing so, make sure that car seats and car belts are available.
* Nutrition: If you have an infant, ask about who will provide the baby food and formula and when and how the baby will be fed.
* Pre-Academics: If you have a preschooler, find out about the curriculum the day care service has.
