When a mother makes the choice to work outside of the home choosing who will care for her child is a huge decision to make. Not only do you want to find a place that will meet the child’s basic needs but a place that they can grow and thrive in. You want to be able to drop them off each day and know that they are safe and well cared for. Since infants can’t communicate what happens with them during the day, it’s important to do your homework before choosing a childcare option. There are so many choices out there it is difficult to know where to begin but here are some tips to help get you started.
Start looking early. Many daycares operate on a waiting list so it is important to get an early start. This will help to guarantee that once you have chosen a daycare your child can actually have a spot there by the time you are ready to go back to work.
Take a look at all the available alternatives. Make sure you look at several different daycares. Each will be unique and offer different things. Also, the more you look the better idea you will have of what is important to you. Chances are you will see things you like and don’t like about each one. Keep a list of these things so you can evaluate the differences as you make a final choice.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Since your child’s health and welfare is at stake it is important to ask lots of questions. Find out how they handle every possible scenario. How they deal with children who are sick, what security measures do they employ, what is the child to teacher ratio, basically anything you can think of , ask it. No matter how small you may think the question is, in the end it will help you to feel more secure in the choice that you made.
Call the references. Most daycare centers will provide you with a list of references. Call the reference to get their feedback on the center. Don’t stop there though, ask around your community. Chances are if anyone has had an unpleasant experience at the center they will want to share it, so you may learn a lot just by talking to your friends and neighbors.
Don’t discount a private sitter. This can be an excellent alternative to a traditional daycare center. Many times retirees or stay at home mothers will babysit in their homes to earn extra money. If you can find one they are often less expensive than a daycare center and they care for fewer children. This means that your child will likely get more one on one attention but still get the socialization benefits that they would at a daycare because there are typically a few other children there.
Make a surprise visit. When you call most daycare centers they will set an appointment for you to visit so that they can be prepared for you. This is great but before you make your final choice make sure to pop in for a surprise visit. It will allow you to get a more clear idea of how the daycare functions on a day to day basis and most importantly to check out their security features first hand. Make sure that the door is secured and that take the time to find out who you are and what your purpose is before they allow you to wander around the center and even then make sure that you are escorted around. Again, it will just help to ease your nerves when the big day arrives.
Most importantly, be patient with yourself and listen to your instincts. You’ll know when you’ve made the right choice. Just like how I ended up buying a nice product from dermaroller amazon.