Choosing childcare options for your child(ren) can be scary and stressful. You worry about whether someone will take care of your child as much as you would. You stress about how reliable they will be, so you don’t have to take off too much work. I have compiled a list of 5 steps that will help you through this daunting process.
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Choosing Childcare- Step 1
Make a list of your requirements and preferences.
Here are some items to include in this list but you can revise it to fit your needs when it comes to choosing childcare.
- Budget– Look at your finances and see how much you can actually afford. Childcare is expensive. Some companies will offer FSA (Flexible spending account) childcare options (called dependent care FSA) that let you take money out of your paycheck pre-taxed to use towards childcare costs. There is a maximum amount so do your research. There are also government programs you can apply for if your salary is under a certain level.
- Type of daycare– Look into different childcare options. The three main options are: Daycare center, Home Daycare or Nanny/Babysitter. A great resource is Care.com for local options. Yelp will also be a good source for reviews. More about this later.
- Schedule– Decide what hours or days you will need someone to watch your child(ren). Do you work full-time or part-time? Is there someone else that can help offset some childcare costs like your spouse/partner or a family member?
- Location– Do you want something close to home, close to work or someone that comes to your home. I found it best to choose a daycare close to home as long as the hours work. If you are sick at home and need some rest, you don’t want to have to drive far to drop your child off at daycare. In-home daycares aren’t often open long hours so if you want to go that route then you might need to find one closer to work.
- Preferences– Do you prefer somewhere that offers all organic meals? Maybe one that is play focused instead of trying to learn reading quickly. Is someone being bilingual important to you to help teach your child another language?
Step 2
Do your Research– Start looking into what type of childcare would be best for your family. Here are some pros and cons for the 3 major types. A great place to look for referrals is Facebook Mom Groups in your area. Many moms have done this process before and can help you with choosing childcare.
- Nanny– One of the best benefits of having a good nanny is that your child(ren) will be able to attach to one person. They will also get the benefit of staying in their own home where they are comfortable. A nanny will be able to be more flexible. If you only need someone during certain hours or if the schedule changes, this is a good route.
Your kids are less likely to get sick because they aren’t around a lot of other kids. On the downside, if the nanny gets sick or is not willing to care for your sick kids, that is more time you will need to be away from work. There is also less accountability (unless you have cameras). If you have a young child, they can’t tell you how they are being treated. There is also less opportunity for your child to socialize with other kids. – If you are open to someone living with you, an Au Pair could be a good option as well. - Home Daycare– We have had our oldest son at 2 different types of home daycares. When he was 8 months old he was at one that was a mom and her 3 girls plus 1-3 other children. It was a great experience because one of her daughters was the same age and they went through the same stages. She was kind and patient and gave our son more attention than a center could. The other one he was at when he was 2-3 years old and it was more like a preschool run by an older mother and her daughter who both had early childhood education in their background. That one was also great. The downsides can be if the home is not set up well or if there is not a good blend of ages. Also, it is at someone’s home so what if they have other people over? There are downsides to every situation so its just things to be aware of.
- Center Daycare– The nice thing about a center daycare is they are often closed less often and there is usually more accountability. Most are managed by a company so they will have specific rules and regulations which are checked. The centers are often open longer hours which makes it easier when both parents work full-time. The downside is your child WILL get sick more often because there are a lot more kids they are interacting with. There is also a chance they might get hurt a little more often because there are more kids to each teacher so it’s hard to watch every child closely. We currently have our 3 boys at a center and love it! They have a bus that will take my oldest to school in the morning and pick him up in the afternoon. This makes it possible for me to drop them all off together in the morning and then pick them up together. Some more common Daycare center chains are KinderCare and TutorTime.
Step 3
Take tours or meet potential caregivers
Now that you have narrowed down your list of preferences and ideally which type of childcare you want, it’s time to check them out. If you are going with the Nanny route, you will want to start doing interviews. My post about finding a babysitter has some great suggestions for questions to ask. For home daycares or daycare centers you will want to take a tour and ask your questions. Here are some topics to ask questions about.
- Weekly rates
- Hours they are open
- When do they close (holidays, etc)
- Any additional fees
- Meals (provided or not. What kinds of food)
- Enrichment activities for kids
- Ratio of kids to teacher
- Policies (late pick-up, etc)
- How they handle discipline
During your tour, you will want to view the interactions between the teachers and children. Are the patient or yelling a lot. How well are the kids behaving? Do the kids look happy? If you happen to see other parents while you are there take the opportunity to ask them what they think. Be specific. Ask them things like, “what do you like most and what do you like least about this daycare.” Choosing childcare is not something to take lightly.
Step 4
Do references
Once you have narrowed down your list to 1-3 options you will want to make sure you do your references. If you haven’t already, check out reviews on Yelp or even Care.com if they are listed. Ask the nanny or daycare for references from current and/or past parents and make sure to call them. Check their license number online to make sure it is active and there is nothing bad that comes up. They will be watching your precious child so doing your due diligence is necessary and should not be skipped.
Step 5
Do a trial day
Once you have signed up for your daycare or hired a nanny, I highly recommend doing a trial day. It doesn’t have to be an entire day but at least 4-5 hours is recommended. This is an opportunity for your child to start getting used to you leaving without you being worried about being late for work. By having this good amount of time, they will be able to go through cycles. They can experience the initial transition away from mom/Dad, start to warm up, start to engage, experience eating with a new person and hopefully learn to fall asleep around them too.
A slightly shorter day than normal is nice because then you will come back sooner. This is also a great time to make sure you have everything ready to go and get on a schedule for pumping if you are breastfeeding. As a parent, it’s a great time to get an appointment done and maybe even do something for self-care.
Here are some products that I recommend for going to daycare.
Related Post: returning to work after maternity leave has more advice about doing a trial day when choosing childcare. I also give some recommendations of things you will need to bring to the daycare for your child.
If you are looking to return to the workforce here are some great tips on resumes, interviewing and job searching. For 20% off at Express to get some great quality work clothes, click here.
This is one of the hardest decisions to make as a parent! My son was an incredibly high needs, fussy baby. We felt we had to go with a daycare center because we needed more accountability. They were so accommodating and often had the assistant director come into give him 1:1 love and hold him for naps! I’ve worked in childcare and education for 12 years… never be afraid to advocate for your child and be “that” parent.
My daughter recently turned two and I am planning to go back to work in about three weeks. I want to find quality childcare where the workers are kind and fun because my daughter is pretty shy! You make a great point that I should take tours of potential daycare facilities so that I can see the ratio of workers to kids and find out the kinds of activities they do throughout the day.
You have addressed all the details so well!
I like the advice you gave to do a tour of a daycare center to see if it will be suitable for your child. Parents should always go the extra mile to when picking childcare centers because it is where their kids will be learning and developing while they are at work. Thank you for the tips on choosing the right childcare.
I like how you mentioned that daycare centers are less likely to close, so they can help families where both parents work. One of my friends is going through school while her husband works. These tips could help her find the right daycare for her needs, so thank you for sharing them.
We are looking for a childcare center for our son. Of the things you listed here, I think that doing proper research is essential. That way, you can see what type of place would work best for our family along with how long they have been in business for.
I like that you said that you can find some government programs to apply for if your salary is under a certain level. I have a cousin that has two kids and he is looking to find a daycare for both. I’m going to check with him to see how much is his budget.
It’s a great idea to start making a schedule that you need to tell a daycare center. That way everyone is on the same page and knows what to expect. My son needs to go to daycare soon so he isn’t home alone or with a babysitter.
My son recently turned five, so my wife and I are interested in the prospects of putting him into daycare. We’re glad that you mentioned how it is important to do reference checks of your list of options to find the best service provider. I’ll be sure to do my due research in order to ensure my son can get the best care while my wife and I work.
Thank you for stating that you should check out reviews on Yelp when choosing a childcare center. I am going back to working full-time and need to find a childcare facility to take care of my daughter. I will definitely utilize all of your great tips and information when looking for a childcare center.
I liked your tip of taking tours before choosing a child care service. My wife and I are looking to put our son in a daycare. I’ll be sure to take tours of daycares before we pick one for our son.
I liked your tips about meeting potential caregivers when looking for a daycare. My wife and I are wondering where we can bring our son while we are at work. I’ll be sure to meet with potential caregivers at daycares before putting out son there.
I love your tip of considering location when choosing a daycare. My wife and I are looking for a daycare service for our little daughter. I’ll be sure to find a daycare that is close to our home.
Since my child will be spending so much time at a daycare center I think it’s a great idea to shop around first. We want the best for him because he is so shy. We work so much and can’t always be there so getting a good daycare is important.
I love the tip about trying a trial day. I am going to look for a place to watch my kid. I got a promotion at work so this could be helpful.
Those are great factors for deciding on a childcare center. My kid needs a before and after school program so that my husband and I don’t have to come home early from work. We’ll have to find a place that offers us and meets our other needs.
I thought it was very helpful when you mentioned that it would be a good idea to choose a childcare facility that is close to your home. My wife and I have been talking about where we could bring our son during the day while we are at work. When we look for one, I will be sure to look nearby.
Thank you for you tips on how to choose a daycare. I like how you said that you should consider the location of the center and if you want it close to work or home. I can see how this can be a important factor to consider before choosing a daycare center.
My wife and I find that more often than not we have a hard time taking care of our children during the day as the two of us both work and it is hard to find consistent babysitters. I am glad that your article mentions the benefits of taking the child on a tour of the facility to see if it will be a good fit for them. I think that my wife and I will get into contact with a care service to schedule a meeting.
My wife and I both work and our mothers don’t always time to take care of their grandson. I like how you mention looking for a daycare that is available at the time of the day and the hour you need someone to watch your child or children. Thank you for the information. I’ll search for a daycare that’s available in the morning.
I like that you said that is recommended to do a trial day at the daycare for your child to get used to leaving him. My wife and I are looking for a place to leave our child when we step out for work. We are going to follow your advice and do it the way you said it to get him comfortable being there quicker.
My sister is going to be having her first child early next year. She will still want to work part of the week. So she needs to find a good daycare for her child to go to. I liked what you suggested about doing a trial run with a daycare she is thinking about going with.
Thank you for stating that you should look at your finances and see how much you can actually afford when it comes to getting childcare because it’s really expensive. I am going back to work full-time and need to find a daycare for my 4-year-old son, but don’t know which one would be best. I will definitely keep your great tips and information in mind when trying to find the best daycare possible for my child.
Thank you for explaining how a daycare center is open for longer periods of time and more often as they are a business. My husband and I both work full time so we need to be able to find childcare that can take care of our son every day that we work. Maybe we will look into a childcare center.
That’s a good idea to have a few hours at first that you could use to help your child get used to you being at work. I would think that would let them get comfortable with whoever is taking care of them as well. I’ll have to consider doing that when I have to go back to work after having a kid.
Thanks for the idea to ask about what enrichment activities a childcare service may offer. We’re thinking of enrolling our children in childcare for a few hours a day to get them used to socialization. We’d love for our daughters to have every opportunity available to succeed in life.
My niece is about to go back to school and I need some help during the day to watch my toddler, so I wanted tips on daycares. I didn’t know in-home daycares don’t have long hours, so you need to decide if you want a daycare closer to home or your work. I’ll keep that in mind to find the best daycare that’ll genuinely care for my son and his well-being, thanks to this post! https://kidstowncenters.com/about-us
I’m glad that you mention watching how the staff interacts with the children when touring potential daycare centers. You could bring your own kids with you on the visit to see how they interact with staff and other children. This could give you the chance to ensure your child is comfortable with them so you can figure out if you’re able to trust them with their care.
I like that you suggest having a trial day when visiting a potential facility. My brother and his wife are planning on having their boy go to a day care center during the day, so they can both work, and I have been helping them look into it. I will send this information over to them, so they can pick the best option for their kid.