Tips for picking the right child care provider

Posted in New Moms
by Lorain County Moms

By Laura A. Jana MD, FAAP, and Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP, HealthyChildren.org

The following is an excerpt from “Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality” (Second Edition):

A License to care

Of the roughly 12 million children in child care, about 3 million are cared for in unlicensed and therefore unregulated settings. Be sure to check that the provider you choose for your child has a current license to provide child care services in your state.

Trust more than your gut

Your gut instincts should definitely play a role in your search for someone you trust to be nurturing and to provide your child with the best care whenever you aren’t around. Word of mouth can also provide invaluable insights. But don’t stop there. Unless you take your child to a place where you are sure that all of the background sleuthing has been done for you (such as in licensed child care centers), always put in the extra time and effort necessary to ensure that your gut feeling rests firmly on additional and reassuring facts. In our book, these efforts should always include

• Interview. Meeting potential providers face to face is invaluable. You get to ask your questions and gauge how comfortable you are, not only with the provider’s answers but with the provider herself.
• Check references. You may feel like you’re just going through the motions, but you’d be amazed to hear what many a parent (or employer) has heard when they’ve called on references. Sometimes it’s just the glowing feedback you’d expect. Sometimes you’ll get an unexpected and eye-opening earful. Either way, at least 2 reference checks are a must. If you’re considering a child care center, remember to ask other parents and staff about their experiences.
• Go online. For good or for bad, in this day and age we all have a digital footprint. When it comes to finding a trustworthy provider for your child, you’ll want to make sure that she hasn’t taken any concerning steps in the wrong direction. It takes almost no time at all to Google someone or search out their Facebook page. We recommend you do so to see if there’s any information the prospective provider forgot to share with you.
• Back it up with a background check. A nationwide background check doesn’t come for free, but can be invaluable. By working with a government or private agency, you can find out if a prospective caregiver is listed in the child abuse/neglect or sex offender registries or if she has any record of federal or state offenses.

Recognizing quality when you see it

While a lot has been speculated, said, and written about how parents should go about determining which child care is best, research offers us a closer look at which characteristics, when put to the test, actually serve as the most reliable indicators of quality. Quite simply, if a child care provideror center consistently meets the well-defined guidelines listed below, children in their care are more likely to be a safe and healthy.

• Appropriate supervision at all times and positive, consistent discipline
• Nurturing care
• Low staff-to-child ratio and group size
• Frequent hand washing and safe, hygienic diaper changing techniques
• Qualified director and teachers who understand the needs of children and participate in ongoing staff training
• Well-established policies regarding safe storage and administration of medications as well as immunization requirements
• Emergency plans that include regular fire drills and a reliable method of contacting parents in the event of an emergency
• Safety as a clear priority, as evidenced by such features as safe storage of any toxic substances and a safe outdoor playground

If you are interested in more detailed information, you can go to the

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agency’s (NACCRRA) website at www.naccrra.org and find their downloadable booklet for parents entitled “Is This the Right Place for My Child?: 38 Research-Based Indicators of High-Quality Care.”

Pediatricians, moms and authors, Laura A. Jana, MD, FAAP, and Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP, offer a wealth of “parent-tested, pediatrician-approved” advice in “Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality,” Second Edition (American Academy of Pediatrics, September 2010). Available on the American Academy of Pediatrics official website for parents, HealthyChildren.org at www.healthychildren.org/heading-home. Also available in bookstores nationwide.