Essential Elements in Choosing a Child Care Provider

My wife has done home day care for quite some time. I was there for all the briefings pamphlets, manuals, inspections, and anything else you can think of that involved getting your home ready for child care. From listening to those briefings and having my own children watched, I got to see the ins and outs of what it takes to be a good child care provider beyond accreditations, licenses and routine inspections. If you are about to enter the work world and you are looking for someone to watch your children, here are some essential qualities you should look out for just from walking in the door and during the initial interview.

1. Watch how they interact with their own children. If their own kids get away with murder or have too many bad habits, what makes you think yours won't get the same? Child care providers shouldn't be there to be disciplinarians nor are they glorified babysitters, but they should know the limits of keeping your kids in line. If they can't do it for their own kids, than that child care provider isn't for you.

2. How clean is their house? Take a look around at the corners of the house. Get nosy and stick your hand under the couch. Ask to get a glass of water and snoop a little in the kitchen. Is there a sense of general cleanliness? Of course there will be a few crumbs here and there, but does the house look like it's almost too clean for children? That's a good thing.

3. How safe is their house? See if anything dangerous is within reach of a child. Take a look at electrical sockets to see if they are plugged. See if the screen door you opened on the way into the house shuts firmly. If there is an inflatable pool out back and it's not being used, is it empty? Those are the little safe things that can be missed easily.

4. What do the kids eat? By the rules, a USDA-approved menu must be served. Frankly some child care providers don't follow one. If you see chicken nuggets today, and you stop by 2 days from now and you still see chicken nuggets, guess what they'll have next week? It can be tough for kids to eat veggies and fruits sometimes, but there should at least be an attempt at it.

5. Consider religion. If you can see an obviously religious difference between your house and your child care provider's home, you may want to move on. Simple as that.

6. Demographics and Numbers. Does the child care provider look like they have more kids than they can handle? Are the age differences between your children and theirs too vast? Too many brothers and sisters in the house and yours is the lone child? These numbers and demographics can become a problem.

7. Activities. The child care provider should have a variety of activity and access to different places. If you see a lot of children behind a safety gate, it isn't going to work out. Children aren't meant to be penned up. You should know this just from traveling in a car too long with your own.

Your children are precious. Frankly we expect them to be better taken care of than we do because that's just how parents are. They want the best for their kids. When you choose your child care provider, please consider those 7 issues before you say yes.