Finding a Child Care Provider

There are many choices available to parents who are looking for child care for their children. Whether you choose a daycare center or decide to hire a nanny there are several important things to consider before you make your choice. 

A daycare center has a lot(usually over 12) of children. One advantage of a daycare center is that it is a structured environment.
Daycare Centers are also licensed and inspected by the state for health and safety. Most states require that staff members have training in early childhood development as well as health and safety and nutrition. Some disadvantages to a daycare center is that they can be quite expensive. The average cost is between four and six thousand dollars a year. If your child is an infant you can expect to pay more since infants require more care and additional staff may be needed.

Both Family and Group Family Daycare take place in your child care provider's home. The difference between family daycare and group family daycare is the number of children that are allowed to be in attendence at any given time. In family daycare you are allowed up to five children and in group family you can have up to twelve. The advantages of these daycare settings is that they take place in a home setting. There is a smaller group of children than a daycare center which allows for more one on one attention.

One disadvantage is that if your provider is sick or takes a vacation you need to have back up care available. The cost of family/group family daycare is between seventy five to one hundred dollars a week.

If you decide to enroll your child in a daycare center or family day care there are several important things to consider before you make your choice. The first question you should ask is whether the daycare is licensed. Just because a daycare is licensed doesn't mean that your child will receive the best care available, however at least you know that the center or home has been inspected for safety. If your provider is licensed they have also been required to attend training in early childhood development,health and saftey, and nutition.