Choosing Child Care: how to select a program for your infant or toddler
Welcoming a new baby into your household is a wonderfully exciting event. Those first weeks are full of discoveries. What does each cry mean? How does he like to be held? How is she soothed and settled for sleep? Selecting and settling in with a child care provider or program is similar. It is a learning process. When choosing among potential providers there is a lot of information to gather and many factors to consider.
Who Will be Caring for My Baby?
Family child care is based on a "family model" where one primary caregiver is in charge of a group of children of mixed ages. The child can remain with the caregiver for up to five or more years depending on the age range the family child care provider serves. New York State regulations for family child care providers stipulate no more than two children under two years of age; the provider will often care for 3-5 older children.
Another option is a child care center. Child care center classrooms have a Lead Teacher and an Assistant for each group of 8 babies. Child care center regulations specify a maximum of 4 infants per caregiver. For toddlers (children 18 months up to 3 years) the ratio is one caregiver per five children and a maximum of 10-12 in the classroom. It is important that there is consistency with staff. Infants and young children thrive when they form an attachment and bond with those caring for them. Best practices for providing high quality infant care include implementing a primary caregiver model where a specific adult forms a stronger attachment with a small group of infants and their families, and continuous care when infants and their caregivers remain together into the toddler years (18 months 3 years) or older.
What Type of Training Does the Child Care Provider Have?
Because brain development during the first three years of life is critically important for future growth and development, caregivers should receive ongoing training and education in infant/toddler development, facilitating growth and learning, health and safety practices for young children, and building relationships with families.
What is the Process for Interviewing and Hiring the Caregiver?
When selecting a family child care provider, you are doing the interviewing and hiring. When selecting a child care center, you will be selecting a program where the Director is responsible for the staff hiring process. In both cases, parents should start the process by making an appointment to visit and tour the home or facility. Scheduled first visits allow the program to have a representative available to give the prospective client full attention.
Information on questions to ask and what to look for when visiting a center or provider are available at www.ocfs.state.ny.us and at www.childcarecouncil.com. Referrals from families or friends currently using a child care provider can be helpful as a starting point. Ask the provider if it is possible for you to talk with one or two families who are currently using or previously used the center. Ask if you may make an unannounced visit at a future time.
When centers hire child care staff they conduct an in-person interview, do reference checks and obtain clearance from the NYS child abuse registry and a criminal conviction check. NYS registered family child care providers are also required to obtain the same clearances.
An Extension of Your Home
The first weeks and months of child care are all about developing relationships. Relationships between parents and the caregiver, and relationships between the infant and the caregiver are emerging. Caregivers and parents share a precious bond. The strongest relationships are those where parents and caregivers respect and share values, beliefs and cultures. Parents should be comfortable sharing information and preferences for their child and caregivers should be respectful of parents as those who know their child best. Together they form a partnership.
Anne Barker, M.S. is the Director of the Richard M. Guon Child Care Center at Monroe Community College.
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