Child Care: What to Look For
When a parent places a child in the care of someone else, be it family child care, a center, a relative or friend, the key to peace of mind is trust. The more the caregiver is trusted, the more secure the parent will feel. Here are some questions a parent should ask:
DOES THE CAREGIVER ...
have child-rearing attitudes similar to yours?
have training to understand what children can and want to do at different stages of growth?
spend time holding, playing with, and talking to your baby?
have enough time to look after all the children in care?
welcome visits from parents at any time?
DOES THE HOME OR CENTER HAVE ...
a license?
only a few children?--remember, infants do better in small groups.
have a clean and comfortable look?
equipment that is safe and in good repair?
nutritious meals and snacks?
ARE THERE CHANCES FOR CHILDREN ...
to be held, cuddled, rocked, smiled at, and talked to?
to relax and rest when they need to?
to crawl and explore safely?
to play with objects that develop their senses of touch, sight and hearing, such as mobiles, mirrors, rattles, things to squeeze and roll, pots and pans, or soft toys?
to learn language through the caregiver talking to the child, naming things, describing what he or she is doing, and responding to the child's actions?
TYPES OF CHILD CARE
INFORMAL CARE
Informal Care (Unregulated)
Informal Care is unregulated care that takes place in a caregiver's home. Care may be
provided by relatives, neighbors and/or friends. One adult cares for one family's children
other than their own. This type of care has no state guidelines or inspections.
Co-ops (Unregulated)
Co-ops are set up by parents with group size determined by the members. Adult/child ratios
may vary and most have a parent advisory board and require volunteer help from parents.
This type of care has no state guidelines or inspections.
In-Home Care (Unregulated)
In-Home Care is care that takes place in the child's own home. It may be an independent
arrangement between parent and caregiver or formal arrangement between parent, caregiver
and/or Au-pair agency. This type of care has no state guidelines or inspections.
FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES
Family Child Care Home (Licensed or Registered)
Family Child Care is regulated care that takes place in a caregivers home.
Group size may vary according to caregiver preferences and state/ local guidelines and
regulations. State law also recognizes large family child care homes with two adults
providing care. Ages of children in care often vary, although some caregiver's service only a
specific age group (e.g., infants, toddlers or preschoolers).
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS (CHILD CARE CENTERS)
Child Care Center (Licensed or Exempt)
Child care centers are usually located in spaces adapted for child care purposes. These
include stand-alone centers and those located in businesses, apartment complexes,
universities, schools, hospitals, churches, etc. Children are often age-grouped and group size
may vary as long as the adult/child ratios are maintained.
SCHOOL-AGE CHILD CARE
School-Age Child Care and Summer Care (Licensed or Exempt)
The setting for a School-Age Child Care or Summer Care program may be a school, child
care center, family child care home, church, or community/recreation program. Group size
may range from 10 to 25 or more children, depending on the type of program and the ages of
the children served.
Programs may be open full days, open summer only, open before and/or
after school, or a combination of the above. The following programs are exempt from schoolage
care licensure, but must meet city/county health and safety regulations (exempt
programs are not government inspected): Private and Public Schools (provided a majority
of the children enrolled are five years old or older) operating school-age care programs,
Summer camps (residential day camps), Resort child care, Programs that are an integral part
of a church or parochial school, City/County Parks and Recreation Programs