For new parents, the thought of handing over their infant to a total stranger for eight hours every day is downright terrifying. But, busy moms and dads are expected to do just that when they initiate daycare for their kids.
A recent study through Pew Research shows nearly half of all two-parent households include a mother and father who work full-time. With the ongoing uptick in the workforce, there’s a related need for a childcare solution during the day for children who are not quite of school age.
How to go about finding the best daycare for your child
While finding the best daycare program can be exhausting and downright frustrating, these tips should help alleviate some of that pain:
1. Start the early
The demand for daycare is high and will likely continue to trend upward. And with high demand comes a lengthy waiting list for the programs of choice. As a result, it’s a good idea to actually begin the search for the best daycare once you are expecting and as soon as you’ve made the decision to use a daycare. Seriously, some of the most “exclusive” centers will have wait lists that can last as long as a year. So start your research as soon as possible.
2. Research the best daycare programs in your area
Google and Yelp are certainly your friends in this epic search, but nothing beats word of mouth and the honest review of fellow parents. Ask friends and coworkers for recommendations on the best daycare centers in your area. Ask that program for references. When given the opportunity to speak with a parent whose child attends a specific daycare center, ask about the positives and negatives and everything in between. If they don’t like the center, ask why; if their child is no longer attending that specific program, ask why.
3. Check your budget
The average cost of daycare in the United States is just under $12,000 per year, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. That’s just the average! In cities like New York, monthly prices can hit the $2,000 mark. Plan accordingly and decide if this is something your household can even afford to begin with; some families find it more financially efficient for one parent to stay at home full-time rather than take on the burden of another huge monthly bill.
4. Visit, ask questions & take notes
The best daycare programs will have an open house or at least provide an opportunity to tour the facilities ahead of making the final decision. This is a great time to observe the providers in action. Ideally, you’ll want a ratio of one caregiver for every three babies in the room. Check for the cleanliness of the facilities and the routine of the caregivers: Do they wash their hands regularly? How do they interact with the children? Does the center itself have an emergency plan in case of fire, flood, tornado, etc., and are first aid kits readily available? What is the holiday schedule?
5. Make sure this daycare is a match
During the interview process, be sure the provider follows similar parenting and care-giving styles to what your child experiences at home. Find out about discipline (scoldings, timeouts, etc.) and what kinds of technologies are used throughout the day (TV, radio, tablets, etc.). The key is for your child to be as comfortable as possible while at the daycare center and for as much consistency as possible.
6. Stay involved & make surprise visits
Once you’ve found the best daycare program for your child, the job is still not done. It’s important to be involved early and often. Communicate with your child’s care provider regularly and get constant feedback on the behavior of your child, feeding habits, number of diapers per day, etc. When possible, stop in at a random time, unannounced, to see just how the day-to-day is going with your child and ensure everything is up to par.
Finding the best daycare for your child is a daunting task, but following a well-thought-out plan will ease that tension and help ensure a smooth transition for both you and your child.
Photo credit: Ali Knight Starfish 158 via photopin (license)
You wrote a great article! I totally agree with you. Make sure you feel comfortable with the provider when you meet her. Always trust your intuition.
Thank you for sharing the tips. It can be difficult to select a daycare provider, especially because you want what’s best for your child. I think getting in touch with other parents and reading reviews is a good way to see what reputation the day care you’re looking at has.
I like your tip about making sure there is a match with a care provider. There are certainly many effective ways to parent a child, but it can be really confusing for someone so young to have to deal with contrasting methods. When I meet with potential day-cares, I will be sure to look for what you talked about. Thank you!
I like your idea of taking a tour of the facility before you make your decision. Hygiene is a must for me, so I would be making sure they wash their hands and stay clean, like you said. I have actually seen some daycares where they let your child come for free for a day. If you find one like that, definitely take the opportunity to do it! That is the best way to find out if your child will like it or not. My son is just getting old enough for me to bring him to daycare, so we are trying to find places that do this, as well.
I never realized that the need for daycare was pretty high. I appreciate you pointing out that it’s best to get started early to get the best results. That gives you enough time to research the center and get to know the instructors. Plus, it gives you more time to think it over.
That’s a good tip to start your daycare search early. Some daycares have waiting lists. I’m going to start looking when my wife gets closer to the end of her maternal leave.
That’s good to know that daycares have a high demand. I guess people are really into their children’s education. My girl isn’t born yet, but I guess I should start making shortlists for her future care.
Great tips. Surprise visit is very appropriate and it is also a good time to check on the underlying policies that shall the obligation and liabilities of both parties in case of irregularities.
You mentioned that when it comes to looking for child care it is important to start looking early so that you have a good long list of places to interview to see if they are fit for your child. That is a great point for me to use since I am currently on maternity leave but will have to work at some point and will need a child care. Thank you for the great information on how to start looking for child care centers.
I think that the most important thing that you mentioned was the fact that you should start looking for the daycare of your choice sooner rather than later. Just as you stated, sometimes it takes a little bit of time to find the right daycare center. Even when you do find the one that you want your child to attend, there is a possibility that it might be full. My wife just gave birth to our second child and is hoping that she can get back to teaching as soon as possible. Because of that, we need to find a daycare center that will help take care of a newborn and a little 4-year-old. Thanks again for the help, and we will look for a place now that we have a little bit of time.
I found it interesting that you talked about asking friend and coworkers for recommendations to find the best schools. My younger sister is looking to find a daycare school for her oldest boy this fall. I’ll be sure to talk to her about asking around in order to find the best one.
Hi Pete, I love the way you discussed how we could find the best Daycare for our children. It’s simple and direct, yet detailed. Taking into consideration of checking the budget before searching via internet and friends’ recommendations really matter.
You made a great point about making sure there is an adult for every three kids there. My wife and I have been looking for a daycare to watch our daughter while we work. It would be smart to choose a place that has lots of staff available because it would make us feel safer leaving our daughter there.
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Thanks for these tips for finding a good daycare. I’m glad you mentioned you should try to visit the place and see what the caregivers are like. It also gives you an entire of what their work is like as well as the skill set they need.
My aunt has been having a very hard time after giving birth, so she’s been thinking of sending her older kids to a child care facility; this will give her more time to relax. However, she hasn’t been sure how to find a good one. I love how you said to make sure the caretakers frequently wash their hands, as it will help keep your children healthy. Thanks for the great tips on how to choose a child care center. I’ll definitely share them with my aunt.
Thank you for suggesting that you should make sure the daycare is a match for your child. My son is needing to go into daycare. Hopefully, I can find the best one in our area for him.
I like how you said to start the process of finding a daycare early. I am pregnant but am already looking for a daycare center. Thanks for the tips on finding the best daycare child.
My son is getting to the age where he can be taken to daycare. We think that is would be beneficial so that he can develop social skills. We are looking for a daycare and I agree that a tour and interview would be helpful. I would like to know how that helps the children develop and also make sure that the facility seems safe and helpful.
You’re right when you said that I should start the process early of finding an infant care center for my child. I suppose I should do my research first before I drop my child there. After all, I have to check my budget to see if I can afford their service so I’ll be doing that this week.
I like how you mentioned that when looking for a daycare, you should visit so you have the opportunity to tour the facility ahead of making your final decision, and so you’re able to observe the providers in action. I am going back to work full time, and need to find a daycare to watch my three-year-old daughter, but don’t really know what to look for. I will definitely keep all of your great tips and information in mind when looking for the perfect daycare for my daughter.
I need to find a childcare service for my daughter because I will be going back to work full-time next month and I appreciate the tips in this article. You make a great point that I should do my research and ask friends and co-workers if they recommend their daycare. This is a great idea because I know that I can trust their reviews and they can tell me the honest pros and cons of each daycare center.
It’s interesting to know that you need to consider plan your budget before you start looking for daycare. My brother is in the process of finding a daycare for his baby, and I’m helping him with information. I will recommend him to consider his budget beforehand, to find the perfect daycare for his baby.