How to Select a Quality Childcare Provider

As hard as it may be, for many families there comes a point when both parents must work and send their young children to some form of childcare while they are away. As a former employee of two preschool/daycares and a mother myself, let me share with you some tips on choosing an excellent daycare for your baby.

There are three options when it comes to childcare: Hiring a nanny in your home, dropping off your child for the day at a baby sitter's house, or sending the child to daycare. When possible, it is my opinion that the first two options are better for the child, but for whatever reason they do not always work out for every family. As a former daycare employee I've learned several things that many parents don't realize about daycares, things that go on behind the scenes that you may not think to ask about. The list of potential daycares is overwhelming. How do you know which one to chose?

The first step in choosing a daycare is to create a list. Get recommendations from friends and family, then look for the daycare's ratings online. (www.mamasource.com is one example of a site that has ratings and reviews for local places.) Mark off places that you see negative ratings for or have reviews that make you uncomfortable. When choosing a care provider it is always important to go with your instinct and gut feeling.

Once you have narrowed your list down, find information about the programs each daycare offers as well as the price per week. Eliminate the places you do not like.

When you have a list of four or five places, call and make an appointment to see them and inquire about the waiting list. It is important to make sure you make the appointment and tour during a time when children will be interacting with the teachers. Avoid the afternoon nap hour. Many daycares have curriculum in the mornings and more free play activities in the afternoon, so if you are concerned with who your child's main teacher may be it is best to take a tour in the mid-morning when they will most likely be doing the core of their daily activities.

While touring the facilities you'll want to make note of several things. If you have trouble remembering what to look for, create a checklist to take along as a reminder:

-Before the tour ask the director what the child/teacher ratio is for your child's age. Every state has a law for this. In Kentucky for example, there cannot be more than 4 one year olds to each adult. Make note of what the daycare tells you their limits are, and when visiting the classrooms take a quick head count of the children to see if this is correct. In one daycare, where I worked with one and two year olds, they sometimes left me alone with up to fourteen children. That was way over the legal limit, but it was during the afternoon and parents had no idea. The lower the ratio of adults to children the better care your child will get.

-If your child wears diapers, take a good look at the diaper changing area. Most state laws require a trash can with a lid to be with in arm's reach. Check to see if rubber gloves, a spray bottle for cleaning surfaces, or paper for the changing table are to be found nearby. Keep an eye out for a dirty area--this will be very important since many nasty viruses and bacteria are passed from bad diaper changing hygiene.

-There should be a sink next to the diaper changing area as well. Are there soap and paper towels? If the sink is around the corner, where the adult will be out of the sight of children, make a note. If this is the case it means that the adult will be less likely to take time to wash their hands, and if they do wash them there will be one less set of eyes in the room keeping track of the children.

-Look around the classrooms at the toys. See if they look dirty at first glance. Even if they look clean, it is a good idea to ask how often they sanitize everything. Some daycares do this each evening, others do it every Friday, and some do not do it at all. Children put toys in their mouths, wipe runny noses and touch them, or go to the bathroom and don't wash their hands then play with the toys. It is important that they be sanitized at least once a week to prevent the spread of common illness. If most of the children have runny noses and seem ill, they daycare probably doesn't clean their toys very thoroughly.

-Ask questions about the daily routine of the classroom your child will be placed in. Some questions you may want to ask include: Do they go outside regularly, or take walks around the building or do they remain in the classroom all day? What are the basic classroom rules? How long are they expected to sit for the curriculum and activities? What times to they nap and eat lunch? How often are diapers changed or potty times offered? What kind of bathroom and hallway supervision do they provide?

-Find out about the nap time routine so that you can prepare your child in advance. This is often one of the most stressful times for a child trying to adjust to a new setting. You may want to ask: Where do the children sleep? If they sleep on mats on the floor, check to see how they are stacked for storage. If the mats are stacked on top of each other in a pile be aware that every child's sheets will possibly be rubbing against your child's. This is another sign that the daycare may be lacking in hygiene. Do they allow a special toy at nap time? A pillow? How are bathroom accidents during nap handled? Ask what happens if your child will not/cannot sleep during nap time. Also be sure to ask what the child/teacher ratio is during naps. Sometimes daycares will be lax during this time of the day, but remember that even though the children are sleeping one can cry and quickly wake up the others. The daycare should still keep the proper ratio of adults to children.

-An essential part of your child's well being involves what they eat for breakfast, snacks, and lunch. Most daycares serve a breakfast early in the morning, then a lunch, and an afternoon snack. Ask to see a menu of what the children will be eating for the week or month. An organized daycare should be able to provide one. Look at the menu and see what nutritional foods they serve. If you see Poptarts and Cheetos for snack every day make note. That would be a red flag. If you see juice listed, find out if that means sugar water or actual juice. Inquire about the portions your child will be served. Some daycares only give children one small glass of water, milk, or juice at each meal and then nothing else to drink so that there will be less diapers to change, although they probably would not admit that to a parent.

-Make sure to tour the play areas, especially the playground. Look to see if the children have to cross a road or parking lot on their way out to play. See if the equipment looks safe. Make sure the area is fenced in and check for hazards such as large rocks or drainage ditches within the fenced in area. Ask how they children are led outside. Do they each hold on to a rope? Hold hands with buddies? Ride in a wagon?

Inquire about the policies and rules for the daycare.
-Do you still have to pay even if your child is sick for a week or you are on vacation?
-What if your child becomes sick while at daycare? At what temperature are they required to go home? Are they allowed to come back the next day? Many daycares have policies saying that you must be away for 24 hours after a fever or stomach illness.
-What happens if your child is injured while in their care?
-How is biting handled? Will you always be notified if your child bites or is bitten?

-How are children punished? Do they sit in time out? This is very important because you always want your child treated with love and respect. If you find your child comes home upset often, this will be one of the first things you need to check into.

-Do you get some sort of daily report for your child each day? What is included on it?

-Be sure to ask about the employees and teachers. Find out if they have a high employee turnover and if they have substitute teachers for your child's classroom. Do the employees get background checks?

If you are still having trouble deciding on the right daycare for your child, make a surprise visit or schedule a few hours to attend with your child one morning. If you think a daycare meets your standards and looks clean but still feel something is not right, go with your instinct. Choosing a proper childcare facility is a difficult task, but it is worth the time and effort it takes to pick the best one.