How to pick a good child care facility

Hi there shewolf,

First, ask around. Even if it's third-hand -- your husband knows a guy who's wife's sister uses this one daycare -- get personal recommendations wherever you can.

Then, ask your local library if they have any resources. In Naperville, a local bookstore sold a booklet that had all the local childcare facilities, with a brief description of their philosophy, cost, etc.

Your local school system could be a good resource for that, too.

Research online too, though for some reason that was the least useful for me.

Look at their certification, and what is involved in getting that certification. (i.e., if certification requires that they meet certain sanitation standards, etc., that answers your questions in on swell foop.)

After you've done this legwork -- emphasis on getting as many personal recommendations as possible -- narrow it down to maybe 5 that look most promising, and visit. Trust the feeling you have when you go.

One last idea, your hubby works at the university, right? There are frequently really good childcare facilities at universities.

http://www.utexas.edu/services/childcare/ccc/about.html

At the very least, they could probably be a good resource for you. Like, if it's too expensive, (though a quick perusal seems to indicate it's reasonably priced, though I haven't figured out the levels yet -- presumably how much time the kid spends there?) they can maybe direct you somewhere more appropriate.

My friends have been sending their kids to the OSU equivalent, love it.

Bean is on the waiting list for UT childcare, the waiting list is 3 years long sadly..
I never thought to ask the schools.
We live not 3 blocks from an elementary school. That does make sence to talk to them.. most of those kids are either just OUT of childcare, or maybe even still enrolled.

wow, that's quite a waiting list.

Even more reason they probably have some sort of resource for other childcare facilities, though, dealing with all the "but I wanted to send my kid to you guys and the waiting list is endless whadoidooooo???" people.

I would start with my state's Office of Care Child. Each state should have an office that is responsible for giving out licenses for daycare facilities. They should be able to not only give you a list of such facilities, but to give you lots of valuable information about if there have been any sorts of complaints, problems or issues at the facility. When I was researching, I actually got to speak to the person that visited the daycare facility and she gave me first hand information of her opinion of the place.

Another good resource is the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) - it is a national organization that many daycare facilities try to become members of - as they have very stringent guidelines of daycare facilities. You could still have a very good high quality daycare facility that is not a member of NAEYC, but if it is, you have some assurance that it will meet certain criteria.

Also go to www.carefinder.com. I got lots of good information including what to look for at a child care facility, who to contact in your state for the Office of Child Care, questions you should ask at a facility, what a facility should have, etc. It is a wealth of information. This website should answer all your questions.

A key thing that I found most parents not doing (and I really don't know why) is to ask for references. I received several parents' names and called all of them and asked how they liked the school and talk with them at great length.

Sozobe is right (not that you wouldn't), but make sure you visit at each facility you are considering. Right away, I knocked several off my list just because of the visit. One because simply the director had a piece of spittle hanging from his mouth and seemed a bit disheveled. I thought, if he is messy, how clean is his place? That is where the trust falls in. After all the work I did (and my daughter was 4 when I first placed her - only two days a week), I left the facility feeling good and comfortable that they would properly care for her.