How To Choose The Right Childcare Arrangement

I attended a talk about childcare arrangements for young mothers and mothers-to-be in New York; I thought I would share the views of the expert with my friends in indiapulse.sulekha.com

The childcare arrangement expert gave some valuable tips:

• He started that most parents had a choice for childcare arrangement between an in-house, center-based care, pre-school and someone else’s home. Specific guidelines need to be followed in order to ensure quality and professional care.

• He continued that a parent’s choice of a suitable arrangement depended on the child’s likes, dislikes, health, interests, behavior and temperament. The choice of a baby below the age of 1 fell on one that nurtured and held the baby and also paid interest to the baby’s special health needs. The choice in the case of older children would fall on one that developed play and learning styles, interaction with other kids, curiosity and gave individualized attention.

• Next each family’s emotional needs and values like whether one would like to leave the child with one person or more would  also influence the choice of a right childcare arrangement; it being advisable to leave a child of 3 years and more in a playschool or daycare where they receive some exposure.   

• The expert continued that a couple’s choice of childcare arrangement also depended on the cost, location, and reputation of the various available options. 

• The expert continued that making the right choice also depended on one’s various expectation from the arrangement; discipline beliefs, religious backgrounds, experience and flexibility. The International Nanny Association recommends interviewing the prospective hire at least twice and carrying on a background check.

• Engaging a nanny or au pair means ascertaining if they are interested in children, have been trained in emergency medicine and CPR, and are able to handle toilet training and separation anxiety. It is best to countercheck from their previous about their credentials; also check on her discipline policy and whether she would provide opportunities for the mental and physical development of the child.  

• The expert continued that wanting to put ones child in a group setting means talking to parents who have used them and then address questions to the childcare center. You need to find out if the center has an open door policy on parents visits, a policy regarding care of sick children, alternative arrangements of care if the program is closed, how grouping of children was made and how the children were monitored in the playground. Also ascertain if the center had a current state license and other accreditations.

• Lastly the responses to some of the important questions would give responsible parents a fair idea if the center’s philosophy agrees with your personal vision of how your child should be guided and cared for each day. If you have not yet fixed up a suitable childcare arrangement, start your search again by taking the recommendations of neighborhood parents or coworkers.

We all benefitted from the very informative talk.

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