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Consider Your Family’s Needs When Choosing Child Care

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Location

Where should you look? That depends on where you live and work and where child care is available. Some parents feel better knowing that their children are close to their workplace; others find that transporting children back and forth can be difficult and look for child care closer to home.Your decision about location will depend on what’s available and what you think will work for your family. If there’s a lack of child care for young children in your neighborhood, for instance, you may want to search along your way to work.

As children get older, their friendships with other children become more important, so if you have a schoolage child, you may want to look for a location in your home neighborhood or closer to school.

If you have more than one child, it may affect your choice of child care. Some parents wish to have their children in the same child care arrangement because it’s more convenient and it gives their children a chance to spend more time together.

A parent of a toddler, for instance, might look for family child care near an older child’s school, where both children can be together in the late afternoon.

Unless you have a caregiver who comes to your home, you’ll have to think about who will take your child to and from child care. If two adults share this responsibility, the location of your child’s care will need to be convenient to both commuting routes.

And if you have more than one child in care, you’ll have to think about coordinating those locations and hours as well.

Hours

Your work hours and the location you select will probably have an effect on the hours when you’ll need child care. If you choose child care near work, your child will arrive later and leave earlier than if you choose child care near home. If you select child care near home, you’ll have to allow for travel time back to your neighborhood to pick up your child. And if you work at night, rotate shifts, stay late at work, or travel out of town, you may have additional child care needs to consider.

Most child care centers accommodate only standard workdays and many have fairly expensive late fees. Family child care may be more flexible in meeting the needs of those who work in the evening or at night, or whose work hours change frequently, but some may also charge additional fees for this coverage.

Fees and other costs

The cost of child care can vary greatly depending on where you live, the age of your child, and the type of child care you choose. Child care research indicates that most families spend up to 20 percent of their gross income on child care.

Before you begin your search, think about how much you’re prepared to pay.

When to Start Infant Care

Leaving an infant in someone else’s care can be difficult, but it is usually harder for the parent than for the young infant. Finding an arrangement that you feel comfortable with is more important than the age at which your child begins care.

Sometime between the ages of 12 and 15 months, you can expect that your baby will become very aware of the difference between you and strangers, as well as the fact that when you are out of sight temporarily you are not gone forever.

These stages don’t last long, and babies’ reactions vary. Many babies become upset whenever their parent leaves the room, even at home. These are normal and important milestones in your baby’s development. Although it can be difficult to start a new child care arrangement at this time, these separations and reunions help your baby learn that you will come back again.

Generally though, young children pick up on a parent’s feelings. Whenever you start care, your baby is more likely to be happy with a child care arrangement if you’re happy with it.

If you’re starting care for your infant, a child care consultant can give you some ideas and tips to help you understand your feelings, plan for the change, and work with your provider to make the separation as easy as possible for you and your child.

A child with special needs

A child with special needs, like any child, should have care that is comforting, stimulating, and safe. Depending on the child’s needs, he or she may require some additional support services. If your child has any special needs.

A child care consultant can help you think through your child’s needs and identify resources and programs that may be available to you.

Age Groups at Child Care Centers

Not all child care programs take children of all ages. The person or program that will be caring for your child may separate children by age or mix them together in a variety of different ways. Some of the most common age groups at child care centers are:

• infant: 6 weeks to 15 months
• toddler: 15 months to 2 years
• older toddler: 2 years to 2 years and 9 months
• preschool: 2 years and 9 months to 5 years, usually divided into groups by age
• kindergarten: 5 to 6 years
• school-age: 6 years and older

Understanding your child care needs

When you’re thinking about different kinds of child care, you will want to consider:

• the age, personality, and needs of your child
• the needs of the rest of your family
• the location of your workplace, home, and the child care you’re considering
• the hours your child will need care
• what you can afford to pay

Once you’ve taken these considerations into account, you’ll want to identify your options, and then base your decision on the quality of the choices that are available to you.

Your child’s needs

You know that if you want peace of mind about your child’s well-being while you work, you must feel that your child is safe, happy, and treated with respect and affection. Think about what will make your child feel comfortable. Some children need small, quiet groups. Others do better in larger groups with lots of activity. You are the best judge of your own child’s needs. Talk to the providers you visit about your child’s personality and needs.

Remember, too, that your child is growing and changing, and will have different needs in the future. Although it is impossible to anticipate all of these needs, thinking about some of them can minimize the number of changes you might have to make. Forming attachments with their caregivers is important for children, so consider your options carefully before making a change.

Different Types of Child Care

Child care generally falls into two very broad categories: child care provided by friends or family members, and child care provided by someone else in your community.

If you plan to rely on friends and family for child care (a grandparent, for instance, another parent with different work hours, a close friend, or even an older child), this article can help you with tips and ideas for making the arrangement work as well as possible for you and your child. You may also want to find out about other types of child care in your community. Many parents combine child care given by a family member with a child care arrangement in the community, using a grandparent two days a week, for instance, and taking a child to a nursery school for the rest of the week. Knowing more about all the types of child care that are available to you may help you decide what seems best for your child.

It will also give you more choices when you need to find backup child care, or when your child grows older and needs or wants a different kind of child care.

This guide mentions different types of child care that may be provided by someone in the community:

• crèches
• toddler groups
• pre-schools and playgroups
• day nurseries
• Sure Start Children’s Centres
• out-of-school or ‘kids’ clubs
• childminders
• nannies

It is important to remember that all of these forms of child care have advantages and disadvantages, and that within each you are likely to find a tremendous range of quality. You may find safe, nurturing, educational child care in any one of the different types of child care in your community, and you may find child care in that same type that’s of such poor quality that it is harmful to your child. Over the coming weeks I will describe each of these, to help you you understand these basic types of child care.

Looking for Childcare for Your Child

Every year, more parents are joining the work force. Already, more than half of all children under the age of 6 live with two working parents or a single working parent. All of these parents have one thing in common: The problem of how to care for their children while they go off to work.

Choosing child care that’s right for your child is very important and can be very difficult. You have to understand and explain the kind of help you need. You have to examine your own values and beliefs about bringing up children. And you must be confident that the caregiver you choose has values you respect and will give your child individual, caring attention.

All forms of child care have advantages and disadvantages, and within each you are likely to find a tremendous range of quality.

Right from the beginning you will want to look for:

• a steady, reliable arrangement
• caring people who like children
• a healthy and safe environment
• interesting, challenging daily activities for your child

But these qualities can come in many different forms and types of child care. As you begin your search, think about the kind of child care you may want for your child.

Copyright © 2008 Raising Babies

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