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Finding Quality Child Care

1. Getting started

The first step in finding quality care is to decide what type of program or person you want to care for your child. The different types of child care are listed below. If possible, allow at least two months to search for child care. If you will be searching for infant care, you may want to start your search even earlier because infant care is in short supply and many providers keep waiting lists. Care for children with special needs or for non-standard hours also may be more difficult to find.

Next, call your local child care resource and referral agency for a list of licensed child care providers in your area. If you need help locating your local child care resource and referral program, call Child Care Aware, free at 1-800-424-2246. Also, ask your local agency to send you the state’s licensing and registration requirements for caregivers. This information can be used to determine if the provider meets minimum state requirements. You also may be able to get information about recent inspections, licensing violations and complaints about the center. Some resource and referral agencies also will know which providers are accredited. The agency may charge a small fee for providing information.

Check with your union. Some unions have bargained for customized child care resource and referral services for their members, some at no charge. Such services are different from what the local resource and referral agency would provide. With many customized programs, the resource and referral service will conduct one-on-one interviews with parents and will find vacant spaces to match their needs. The list sent by the local resource and referral agency may or may not contain vacancies.

Also, check with friends who have young children for the name of a center or provider which they strongly recommend.

2. Telephone screening


Once you have a list of potential providers, it is useful to screen them by phone so that you can narrow down your choices. Ask the following questions:

  • What are the ages of children the caregiver accepts?

  • What are the ages of the children she has now? How many in each age category?

  • Are there any vacancies? If not, when does the caregiver expect to have vacancies?

  • What are the hours of operation?

  • Which days are they open?

  • Is care available for times you need care, including evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, or summers?

  • What are the fees? Are there any special discount rates for more than one child?

  • Are there any financial aid or scholarship programs available?

  • Are there additional fees for items such as meals, field trips or supplies?

  • Are meals and snacks provided?

  • Are supplies such as diapers and formula provided or supplied by parents?

  • Is the provider licensed?

  • Is the provider accredited?

3. Visiting child care providers

Your next step is to visit the centers or family child care providers that you have determined to have met your initial requirements. You should make an appointment to visit each provider so that the director or provider will have time to talk with you and thoroughly answer your questions. (See "Questions to Ask and Things to Observe.")

Preferably, your visit should be during operating hours so you can observe the classrooms, teachers and children. For family child care providers, your initial visit may be after child care hours so the provider can give you her/his undivided attention. Later, you can visit during care hours with or without your child.

When choosing relative care, think carefully about whether this is the best care for your child. Ideally, a relative is someone you have complete trust in and who can provide care in a familiar environment. Many times, however, a relative may care for your child only to help you out, not necessarily because they want to care for children or have been trained in early childhood development. In order to deal with potential problems ahead of time, you should discuss with your relative some of the same things you would discuss with a non-relative provider. This would include cost of care, hours of care, child rearing attitudes, smoking policy, and discipline. (See "Tips on Choosing Family Child Care and Relative Care.")

4. Visiting with your child

Once you’ve made a tentative decision on which child care arrangement you want for your child, make a second visit — this time with your child. At this visit, do the following:

  • confirm your impressions from your first visit;

  • pay particular attention to any areas of concern you had during your first visit;

  • ask any questions you have thought of since your last visit; and

  • see how your child reacts to the environment and how the caregivers treat your child.

Once you've chosen a child care arrangement, it may be a good idea to visit a few more times with your child, for longer and longer periods, especially if he/she is very young, so your child can make a gradual transition.

Types of child care programs

Family Child Care is the care of a relatively small group of children in the provider’s home. It is the most common form of child care in this country, especially for younger children. Parents choose family child care for its intimate home setting, flexible hours, consistent caregiver and small group size.

The family child care provider can be a relative or non-relative. Some family child care homes are informal and spontaneous with few planned activities; others follow a daily schedule, like a mini-preschool.

Some states have regulations and licensing requirements for homes that care for over a certain number of children (usually five or six children).

Relative Care is care provided by a related person other than the parent in the relative’s home. Grouped together with family child care, these two types of care constitute the most frequently used child care arrangements in the United States among employed mothers with children under 5 years of age.

Relative care normally is not licensed or regulated.(See "Tips on Choosing Family Child Care and Relative Care.")

Group Child Care Homes are larger than family child care but smaller than a child care center. Care is provided by two or more caregivers, typically for seven to 12 children. It is a legal category in about half of the states. States not recognizing the group home category regulate this arrangement as a center.

Child Care Centers provide care in non-residential facilities, usually for 13 or more children. There are for-profit and not-for-profit centers. They are generally staffed with teachers trained in early childhood education and assisted by teacher's aides. Children are usually given a schedule of regular activities, which includes age-appropriate educational instruction and play time.

In-Home Providers provide care in your home or the home of another family with whom you share care. You may employ the caregiver independently or make arrangements through a nanny or au-pair agency.

School-Age Child Care Programs can include before-and-after school programs, programs for school holidays, and summer programs. They can be located in public or private schools, churches, day care centers, and youth-oriented recreational institutions, such as the YWCA/YMCA. (See "Tips on Choosing School-Age Care.")

A Word About Costs: In general, in-home providers and child care centers are the most expensive types of care, followed by family day care with relative care being the least expensive. Child care costs are highest for infants and decrease as children age.

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