Choosing Childcare
With thirteen million children under the age of five in some type of child care arrangement, parents are always concerned about child care. Does your child thrive in a center with lots of same age peers? Or would your child do best if he were in a small family day care setting?
There are many child care choices available to today’s parents but having more options doesn’t make choosing the right setting any easier. Like anything in life, weighing the pros and cons and then making a decision that best fits your family is in order.
Of the three main child care options, family day care, center-based day care and in home care provided by family, friends or a nanny, each has its pluses and minuses. This combined with your child’s specific needs for care, her age and your work schedule make striking the right work and family life balance challenging.
Family day care may be a perfect fit for your family if your child needs less stimulation, a more homey setting and you work a less predictable schedule.
Center-based care might be just right if you are looking for a more school-like setting and you have regular daytime work hours. And if you have extended family living near you, perhaps leaving your child with someone you know very well makes you most comfortable.
Regardless of your preference, there are still so many more questions that need answers before you can feel good about your decision. How do I know if the setting provides good care? Do the child care providers have experience working with children of all ages and temperaments? Is the environment safe? Can I afford this type of care?
You are wise to ask these questions about any setting you think might fit your child care needs. In fact, as a child development specialist, I encourage you to ask specific questions about the provider’s background, knowledge of child development and child care experience.
Research shows that high quality early learning experiences are beneficial to a young child for many more years following the experience. So, what is good quality child care? How do you define it?
Good quality child care begins with a nurturing, loving person capable of guiding, teaching and providing age appropriate discipline. Are there such providers out there? Of course there are.
Many wonderful people provide care in any of the settings I’ve discussed. Yet, finding a quality care provider whose personality connects with your child’s temperament, coupled with finding the right physical setting is a tall order.
While the research does support the benefits of quality early learning experiences, there are downsides to child care in any setting. If you already have a child in child care you know she gets more illnesses in winter, has to occasionally or often adjust to new providers, contend with other children in the throws of learning appropriate social skills and may even continue to struggle with separation from you at drop off time. Short of quitting your job, staying home or juggling child care with your child’s other parent; you simply must find the most positive choice and make the best of the inevitable negatives.
Do you want to know which setting I recommend? You may not like my answer, because the setting I like best is one that fits each unique child’s needs. Meeting the individual needs of each child in your family poses yet another challenge in choosing child care.
If you have more than one child and each child has different needs, you may require more than one child care option. If one child tends be slow to warm to new people and new experiences, she may do best in a small group setting. This will provide her with the opportunity to learn social skills yet, not become overwhelmed with social expectations.
If you have another child who is active and loves social interaction and loves to play outdoors, he may do well in a center-based program that offers lots of active social play. But practically speaking, choosing a different arrangement for each child might add another stressful dimension to work and family life balance.
So, if you require a “one size fits all” option, I recommend making your child care decision based on the child in your family most affected by your choice, since your “go with the flow” child may thrive anywhere.
Do you have a child who is intense and sensitive? Does she have difficulty handling her emotions or does she become aggressive in large group settings, with big open spaces and lots of noise?
There are studies showing that aggressive behavior in child care is directly related to the number of hours a child spends there; the more time spent the more aggression seen. This highlights the need to know your child and to continually evaluate the time spent in child care.
In fact, because of these and other studies examining the effects of long periods of time in childcare on development and learning, there is a growing trend toward part-time child care arrangements. Again, I underscore the need to make decisions about child care that fit your child, your work demands and your family life.
Feeling overwhelmed with all the options? Start by looking at each child’s temperament and consider how much time they can handle in child care. Don’t forget to consider how many transitions they can make effectively.
Your first consideration, when it comes to choosing child care, is the type of setting that fits your child best. When you have narrowed the options for child care in your community; interview providers, observe the setting or simply visit with your child.
Try to learn what you can from the provider or from other parents about the settings’ safety and health policies, licensure, group size, staff turnover, and the qualifications of staff. Look at the setting’s child friendly environments, established means of communicating with parents and flexibility in meeting the needs of working parents.
I know choosing child care today isn’t easy. But you have something that no one else has and it can guide you in making this most important decision…you know your child. While your needs for child care will certainly change over time, at every developmental stage you still know what your child needs to behave well and learn effectively. Take the time now and again to reexamine what your family needs to achieve a healthy balance for work, child care and family life.
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