As a working mom, are you considering putting your child in daycare? Keep reading for 8 tips for choosing a daycare for your child.

There are so many things to consider if you’re a mom that has to work outside of the home. The biggest is probably deciding who will care for your child. We have 5 children, and have been at 4 different daycare centers between my moves for medical school, residency, and work. My kids were cared for grandparents early on, but at some point they all started daycare. We’ve been at out current daycare since 2012, and they know us REALLY well! We still have our two youngest there, and we love it because it’s small, secure, clean, the teachers are extra-friendly, and our kids learn A TON.

There are a few other options for childcare, but I’ll only talk about daycare here because it’s what I know the most about. We’ve considered having a nanny in the past, but honestly, the cost turned out to be much more than the cost of daycare, and it just wasn’t reasonable for us.

But first, here a few benefits of daycare:

Children get socialized

Now, children don’t typically play together until they’re about 2 years old. So, I typically tell parents that if they don’t HAVE to put their child in daycare, the earliest that I would do it is age 2. Not only does daycare allow your child to play with other kids and to develop their language skills, it also teaches them valuable lessons – like taking turns, following a schedule, moving from one activity to another, etc. It prepares them ultimately for kindergarten by learning those skills early.

Children get their illnesses out of the way

We all know that children get sick in day care. You can read about my own son’s recent experience with Hand, foot, and mouth disease HERE. It’s tough to watch any young child go through an illness, but the bright side is that they’re building their immune system! Their little bodies will have to face these illnesses at some point along the way, so better to build their immune system now than to have them missing school when they’re in Kindergarten.

Care Is Available Most Days

It’s rare for a daycare center to close unexpectedly. But, family members or nannies can get sick, and can cause you to not have someone to care for your child. Of course, centers may close on certain Holidays, but you should be able to plan ahead for these times. If your child is too sick, though, they’ll be excluded from the center. You can read HERE for my tips on having a back up childcare plan for your child.

I highly recommend doing your research on day care centers ahead of time, so that you won’t be stuck having to make a last minute decision. Take the time to interview and tour the centers, so that you can ask any necessary questions and familiarize yourself with the options that are out there. Believe me, it can be overwhelming, so do it early!

Here are 8 tips for choosing a daycare center:

1. Cleanliness

This goes without much explanation. It’s inevitable that
your child will get sick in daycare, but the cleaner the daycare center, the
less frequent your child should hopefully get sick. The center should practice routine
handwashing with the children, should have sanitary practices during food preparation
and bathroom times, etc. so that germs aren’t spread everywhere!

2. Sickness guidelines

It’s important that the daycare you choose doesn’t allow sick children to stay in the midst of healthy children. Our daycare is very good at notifying us as soon as they notice our child is ill and needs to go home.

3. Class size

Daycares that are licensed by the state are required to have
certain ratios of adults:children in each class. The smaller the ratio, the more
likely your child will get the attention they need. I think infant ratios above
1:4 and toddler ratios above 1:8 can be difficult for any adult to handle!

4. Vaccines

I’m a strong supporter of vaccines. It’s important to check
with your daycare to ensure that they follow your philosophy on vaccines. If
you don’t want your child to attend a center where unvaccinated children
attend, you have that right!

5. Meals

Find out if the school prepares meals and snacks for the
children, or if you have to provide your own. It’s important to know how they
heat meals and bottles. I typically have to send my children’s meals in a
thermos because our school is not allowed to heat food in the microwave.

6. Curriculum

Find out what your child will be learning on a daily basis. I
recommend schools that have some sort of lesson plan, even for their infant and
toddler rooms. You don’t want to pay someone big bucks just to watch your child
play all day!

7. Safety

My husband and I joke that our day care is like “Fort Knox”. The entrance has 2 locked doors that have to be opened by a staff member before we can get to our children. The Director will literally talk through the door if she doesn’t recognize you outside. I’ve witnessed this! We have NO concerns about our children’s safety. It’s important for your day care to have safety measures like this in place. It’s also important to make sure that the rooms are child-proofed, and there are no hazards in the playground equipment, toys, and the sleep spaces for babies.

8. Interaction between staff and children

Your child should get the same care at daycare that you
would provide for them at home. When visiting a center, pay attention to the
interactions between the teachers and the children. A teacher sitting on the ground,
interacting, and playing with or reading to young children is very different
than a teacher sitting at a desk on her phone or doing her own thing.

Of course, you should also consider practical things like cost, location, hours, etc.

 Our family has been through the day care process 5 times now, and have had no major problems. Our kids have been loved on, spoiled, and have learned a ton. The older ones have all transitioned well to Elementary and Middle schools, and I know their early starts in daycare played a huge role in that. So, take your time with this decision, it’s an important one for your children!

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