How to Select a Childcare Provider
An Easy Way to Find Quality Day Care for Children of any Age
Jan 6, 2009
Finding a quality childcare provider can be a daunting task. The idea of leaving an infant or toddler with a complete stranger can be very disconcerting for some parents. The following simple steps will make the process much more manageable and help to insure that parents are comfortable with their final choice.
Start Early
Pregnant women should start looking between their sixth and seventh month. For families who are relocating, start the search as soon as possible. The earlier the process is started the better. Finding quality childcare is a time consuming process. If you start early you can quickly weed out the facilities that don’t meet your needs and concentrate on the ones that do.
Searching for a Childcare Provider in the Area
Ask the people around you first. Try friends, family members, and co-workers. If you are relocating and getting a new job, ask the HR Manager if he could assist you in asking your future co-workers where they take their children. Also, do a phone book or online search for providers the area. Be sure to figure out if you want a facility close to where you live or close to where you work. After you’ve done a little research, compile a list with the name, address, and phone numbers of the places you are interested in.
Questions for Potential Childcare Providers
Create a questionnaire for the potential childcare providers. Type it up on a computer. At the top leave space to write in the name, address, and phone number of the different facilities and then below list out the questions that are important to you. Print out several copies. This way you have a standard list to go by for every facility and you won’t forget to ask any questions.
Starting the Childcare Search
Take the copies of the questionnaire and write the names, addresses, and phone numbers of each potential child care provider at the top of each page. Use one provider per copy so that each potential provider has a separate copy of the questions.
One by one, call each provider and ask the preliminary questions first over the phone. These are questions like: Do you have a space for a newborn? What are your hours of operation? What are the fees? Preliminary questions give you basic information about the facility. You can leave the more in depth questions about the day to day operations for your scheduled visit. If the answers to your preliminary questions suite your needs, then ask the provider if you can schedule a visit.
Don’t be afraid to put your name on a waiting list, especially if it’s a place you’ve heard great things about. Do ask where you are on that list, so that you can know realistically whether or not you have a good chance of getting in when you would like or if it may take a little longer. Also, because you are starting your search early, some providers may say they are not sure if they will have a space available and to call back in a specific time frame. This is okay as well. Just make a note of it on your questionnaire. You still want to ask the rest of your preliminary questions because you want to know if they are in your price range, are open when you need them to be, etc.
The Scheduled Visit to the Potential Day Care
Bring the questionnaire to your scheduled visit. Usually the childcare provider will tell you a little about her business and then ask you if you have any questions. Be sure to take a tour of the facility as well. Pay attention to how it looks, smells, if the children look happy, how the children interact with the childcare workers, and if a diaper is changed does the worker wash their hands. Write down any notes or comments you may have on the questionnaire you created.
Pop-up Visit to the Potential Day Care
A couple of days later, if you can, do a pop-up visit. Show up unannounced and see if the facility looks the same. You want to make sure they didn’t put on a show for you while you were there for your scheduled visit.
Selecting a Childcare Provider
After you have collected all the information you will have probably narrowed it down to just a few. Be sure to call them 2-4 weeks before you will need to enroll your child to ensure there is still a space available. At that time you should be able to put down your registration fee to secure that space.
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