Get a Jump Start on it!

Start by looking around and talking to people in your community. Often times people are attracted to what they think childcare should be, in many cases in-home daycares. Really take a look to see whtat the pros and cons are in every situation. Never put yourself in a position where your rushing because this is one decision you do not want to mess up on.

You can start by looking in some local ads, especially classified like craigslist or ads in the local papers. You dont have to go to the biggest commercial daycare, just focus on the providers who truly have a passion for what they do and not looking just for financial gains.

Do your due diligence, take a look to see what the licensing requirements are and take a good hard looks at your providers papers. They should be easily located as soon as you walk into the door hanging on a near by wall. See what they are licensed to do and have, pay close attention and let them see you are an involved parent.

To go without mention make sure you actually visit the facility. Make a few random un-announced visits to see if there operation is consistent.

• What is the adult to child ratio? See how many children the state allows to be in one particular group or class size and ask the provider how many they have. Dont be bashful or afraid to walk into the classroom and actually take a count on how many they have. In this case its ok to be somewhat invasive to ensure the quality and proper care of your child.
• What Are the Qualifications of the Caregiver? Ask about the actually caregivers or teachers that will be in the classrooms. See what type of credentials they have and keep in mind what stage your child is in so what your childs needs my be. For example, if you have an infant you may not need a person with a masters degree taking care of him or her, more so just a loving nurturing person to comfort them and help them learn through play. However if your child is a little bit older you may want to see materials as to what educational materials is being shared. You want your child to develop in a development center.
• Check to see what the Turnover rate is: See if other parents are happy with the service they have received and also check to see if the teachers at that facility have been there for a while. You want your child to get use to routine and a quality center should be able to maintain a good core staff at all times.
• Is your center on the Stars or Food Program? Find out if the center of your choice is on the stars program. This is important because its symbolic of the structure of education the center provides. In addition is the center a sponsor of the food program? Why is this important? Because if indeed it is a sponsor you can rest assure your child is eating nutritiuos  meals. The Food Program offers the centers a reinbursement for quality healthy meals so that the provider will not spare any expense in doing just that.

Remember and write down what you saw each visit and ultimately you have to make the right choice for you and your family.

Stay INVOLVED: Volunteer whenever you can, if your center offers xx amount of trips during the year try to make at least a quarter of them. If your daycare center is having birthday parties or anything group gathering again just try to free up some time so you can be a presence at the center. Your child will appreciate it and the providers will know about your level of interest.