Childcare Tips for New Mothers
The search for good and reliable child-care ideally should begin when you discover your due-date. This gives you plenty of time to research your upcoming child care options. Depending on the type of childcare you choose, there are several items of importance to consider before selecting a child-care provider. Are you going to need in-home care in which a single caregiver comes to your home. If this is the type of care you need, be aware that many of these providers are not licensed nor are they required to be licensed. In this case it is especially important to get references from previous employers for at least 5-yrs. Ask for names and phone numbers; don’t hesitate to call the parents who have used their services. If the provider refuses or is unable to provide this information for you, move on. In-home caregivers may be left alone with your child, they may be unlicensed and are often costlier than other types of childcare; caution should be exercised when choosing this type of child care.
Another option is family childcare, which is a more casual environment with a limited number of young children enrolled, and is usually less costly vs day care centers. This type of childcare requires you to drop off and pick up your child at the person’s home. Often there are charges made if you are late in picking up your child; the caregiver is more like a 9-to-5 business and may strictly enforce this rule. These types of childcare providers should be licensed, and the type of care provided is left up to the individual so again, references from other parents are crucial.
Still another option is a day care center, which must be licensed. Your child will be among more children, receiving less individualized care than the previous two types of childcare mentioned. However, there are many benefits to this type longer hours of operation, less stringent rules on pick up and drop off times, and more activities with more children to interact with. The down side may be the more children your child is exposed to the more chance of illness and other problems resulting from inter-acting with many children (some of the kids will likely be sick at any given time) all at once.
Before you have your baby is the best time for you to visit your prospective child care providers. Take along a notepad with you; make notes of any positive or negative items you will want to check into later. Checklists provided by several websites can be printed out, using your notes for comparison. If you are going to be returning to work after maternity leave, having several providers lined up will make your intro back to work less stressful.
If you are working out of your home, or work part time, it is still beneficial to have a childcare provider on call for emergencies. This would be a drop-in provider who can be called at the last minute and basically is an on-call provider. Having a drop-in childcare option will also afford you some time to get back into the routine post-baby. Even a few hours a week can give you time to do the grocery shopping, keep doctor’s appointments, have lunch with a friend or just get out of the house for an hour.
Day Care 101 - What is Day Care
Day care has come a long way since the temporary babysitting jobs of the 1960's and 1970's that paid 50-cents an hour per child, maybe .25c more an hour for 2 kids. Neighboring teens made good babysitter candidates, as did children of friends or older family members. All that was required of the babysitter was to fix a dinner plate for the child, clean up afterwards and play with the kid before tucking them into bed. Most of the sitting was done on Friday or Saturday nights allowing the parents to enjoy a night out. Today, day care means a whole lot more.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the last 10-years almost 65 percent of women with children six years old or younger were working outside the home. Especially in single parent households, it's essential to have access to day care, if other alternatives such as relatives or grandparents, are not available. In a family where both the husband and wife work full time jobs, ongoing day care is sometimes the only choice.
There are several options available today. More corporate employers are adding on-site day care facilities, in-home providers are available, and full or part time day care centers are located in nearly every city large or small. Some centers only accept children ages birth to toddler, while others welcome children of any age. There is a growing trend toward “drop-in” child care, with facilities offering affordable short-term, high-quality care.
Schools, gyms, recreation centers and even churches are jumping on the child care bandwagon by offering such events as Parent Nights Out. Some communities are organizing child care co-ops. Nannies, also known as a child's nurse are also an alternative, however, a more costly one as it involves full-time in-home care by a person who may or may not reside on the property.
Nannies can be male or female; however nannies are becoming popular. Families can choose the care that fits their changing needs a nanny for the newborn, drop-in care for the toddler, and an environment rich day care for preschoolers. Summer needs may differ from those during the school year and parents may switch programs to accommodate those needs.
Day care centers that are evolving into highly structured children's learning centers now offer a wider range of activities. Still available are simple arts and crafts projects, but the addition of early learning programs has been attributed to research showing a response to academics at an earlier age. Parents want their children to start developing skills that previously were not taught until much later. Add-on extracurricular activities such as gymnastics, ballet and martial arts are offered for an additional fee. The instructor comes to the center on a weekly basis providing on-site instruction, and this is especially beneficial to those parents who are short on time and cannot accommodate weekly lessons. Keeping parents up-to-date on the schedules and events was done by a simple newsletter; today many providers have websites which even include the weekly menus. You can also request an update on your child’s conduct, which is in turn emailed to you.
Communication between the provider and the parent is important, but early morning goodbyes can be difficult for younger children and keeping it short and sweet encourages a good day for both the kids and child providers.
Reasonable Day Care Costs
Congratulations! You’ve just had a baby. But you need to get back to work and the mounting pressure of wondering what you’re going to pay in day care costs is causing you to lose sleep. But it needn’t be so. Keep in mind that your baby continues to grow and in about 4-years your day care costs will begin declining as your child enters school.
As more time is spent in school and after school activities, less time will be spent in day care. Even though it is a small percentage, child care expenses are deductible off your fed tax return at income tax time. Other ways to combat high day-care costs include rearranging your work schedule if at all possible, sharing child care with your spouse or partner, and finding an internet-based job where you can stay at home. Relatives or family and close friends can often help out.
High school or college students are also a source worth looking into. If you live near a large college, it may be profitable for you to place an ad in the newspaper, and if you have the space, considering offering a trade of room and board for child care. Of course not all of these options apply to everyone, but these ideas can lead to brainstorming and solutions can follow.
Day care costs depend primarily on where you live, the type of day-care you need and how often you’ll need it, and how old your baby is. The biggest factor in determining day care costs is your location. But most of us are not willing to change where we live, so let’s take a look at some of the other factors. Your baby’s age is also not a variable factor, but it can be a consideration when deciding how much time to have him spend in day care.
You might want to consider that the more time your child spends in day care each week, the better the quality of that care should be. That does not necessarily mean that a family day care provider will have better prices but lower quality care and the reverse is also true of larger day care centers.
Day care costs are solely dependent on the provider and the rates that the market in your area can bear. Day care centers are not as expensive as nannies; in-home care can be less expensive than a day care center. Day care costs are going to impact your income no matter which type you choose. But quality definitely differs in that a small, unlicensed family day care provider may in fact give more individualized attention than a larger facility if that provider has a genuine love of children. One does not have to have a bachelor’s degree to love children.
On the other hand, a larger licensed day care center may provide a more structured educational environment, and have more children for your child to interact with, but based on your location this may not be any more expensive than some of your other options.
Military personnel who are activated deployed only can file for financial aid for day care costs;
The over 850 locations nationwide of CCR&R (Child Care Resources and Referrals) can also help with determining which type of child care is best for you and the day care costs involved.
Finding a Five Star Daycare Provider
Years ago, simply asking a friend who “sat” for them was as easy as picking up the phone. Or you might find an advertisement in the local newspaper. But with daycare centers springing up like daisies, the choices are far and wide. But finding the right day care provider to suit you need not be an insurmountable task. References from friends are still a great way to locate one that has been proven to be reputable.
The internet is also a great resource, there are web sites posted by entrepreneur kind of daycare providers which will have information on their qualifications and licensing, etc.
Local newspaper classifieds will have ads run by smaller family type childcare providers, and your local chapter of CCR&R (Child Care Resource and Referral) is a free service that provides counselors you can speak with who will assist you in locating a childcare provider, based on your zip code.
After you determine what type of daycare you need, be it in-home, drop-in or full time daycare center supervision, there are several guidelines to follow. A checklist should include the following information, as well as obtaining references and visiting the facility.
Does the provider or center have enough supervision; are the children supervised even when they are sleeping How many caregivers are there at all times (For babies, there should ideally be a two to one ratio.) Are the providers trained in first aid and rescue breathing Are the children within a caregiver’s sight when they are with another caregiver Have the caregivers had background checks
Is the director and teachers qualified to run a daycare facility with bachelor’s degrees in a child related field. Has the staff worked in child care for at least 1-year for teachers or longer and 2-years for directors. Is the licensing up to date? Does the staff show a genuine love for children or is this just a job?
Is there a common bathroom available for older children to use to wash their hands, before and after going to the toilet and before meals? Are the diapering areas clean and the diapers disposed of in a proper manner? Are the other children kept up to date on their immunizations and are these records available as proof? Are toxic materials locked away and poison information posted? Are medications kept safely out of reach of children?
There should be an emergency plan in place if a child gets hurt or lost; is there a first aid kit on the premises. Do they practice fire drills and is there a program in place for disasters such as earthquake and tornado?
Lastly, are the playgrounds and play areas kept clean and in good repair? Is the sandbox clean, the playground surrounded by a fence? Are the toys age-appropriate?
This list may seem excessive at first. However, a visit to the daycare center or family home can give you a quick overview of the surroundings, and the general questions you would ask would not make you the first parent to inquire of such. A concerned parent does whatever is necessary to ensure the safety and well being of their child, even if it means giving the daycare provider what seems like the third degree.
How Children Benefit From Childcare
You've heard all the nasty rumors about child care, but you have to get back to work and you have no choice. But did you know there are benefits to sending your child to daycare If you consider some of these benefits, it will help you come to terms with your own decision whether you have a choice or not. If you can understand some of the ways children benefit from childcare, you will feel you are helping your child grow into a well rounded, happy child instead of punishing the both of you by sticking him in daycare.
Babies need interaction with other children. It's never too early to start engaging him in activities with other children, whether they are other babies, toddlers or older children. Learning to interact with other children prepares a child for his first encounter with school.
A daycare environment is a perfect place to get a child used to other children as child will have to do when child enters preschool or kindergarten. Daycare is a gentler environment, there are less rules and more flexibility than strict teachers may impose.
Children benefit from childcare by learning self-control, how to get along with others, and how to share. They are initiated into the world of friendship. Without daycare, child only knows you; you are his whole world. What a shock to find one day around his 4th birthday child will have to start school and will be away from you at great lengths during the day. Children benefit from childcare by expanding their world to include people other than their parents.
If a child has been in daycare there will be less chance of separation anxiety when child enters school. Child has become used to you being away from him; child has learned to make new friends and can be content without the undivided attention child normally gets from you.
Aside from learning socialization skills, child may also have the opportunity to learn some of the basics such as the alphabet and numbers. This pre-preschool learning environment teaches your child a basic understanding of what will be expected of him once child enters kindergarten. Child learns to listen and accept the information that will be thrust upon him in school. Entering school for the first time is challenging, children benefit from childcare by already having exposure to a classroom like environment.
Once the child enters school, day-care can help with school homework. Some day care facilities also offer after school extracurricular activities like scout meetings, and on-site gymnastics instruction. Once the child is in school his horizons begin to broaden.
Children benefit from childcare, but it is really the parents that make the most difference in your child’s life. When child gets home from daycare after spending a long day away from you, child will want to tell you about his day. Ask him questions about his friends, his teachers, his subjects.
Child is capable of interacting with you no matter what his age is, and getting him to vividly describe his day is exciting to a child especially if the parent shows interest. Of course you are interested, aren’t you? This child, a smaller version of yourself, is taking on the world a day at a time, and the choices and desires child has will be a direct reflection of you. Make the most of that opportunity while you can, children are only children once.
How To Prepare Your Child For Daycare
The transition from staying home to entering a full time day care can be a difficult one for many kids. There are many things parents can do to make this easier, and to ensure a good day care experience.
The most important factor for any child is to choose the right daycare provider. If at all possible, it may be easiest to place the child with someone they are already familiar with, either a family member or friend. As this is not always an option, many resources are available for selecting a caregiver.
Word of mouth from any friends with children will go a long way towards steering you to a good day care. This way experiences can be relayed, either good or bad, and eccentricities discussed. Bear in mind that a provider who is wonderful for one child may not be for another because of differing personalities; however, if several parents have criticized a source, a genuine problem may be present and that person might be one to steer clear of.
If word of mouth does not direct you to a good caregiver, the Department of Social Services can provide you with a list of licensed day care providers in your area.
Your pediatrician may also be able to give you a care provider suggestion; many family practice doctors get to know their patients well, particularly those with children. If all else fails, you can find it in the yellow pages or look in newspaper classified ads can which can also provide listings for child-care professionals in your area.
Once you have chosen a provider, take your child to meet them. Most providers will wish to meet with you prior to the child being enrolled. Take your child with you to this meeting if possible. This will give them a chance to look around their new environment and meet the person or people who will be caring for them.
If your child has a comfort object and it is permitted, allow the kid to take that object to day care. Most children become homesick for the first couple of weeks, and this will give them a piece of home to hold on to. Giving them a picture of you and other immediate family members to look at when they become lonely may help as well, but make that decision based on your child; it may make the situation worse.
If at all possible, try to stay for a little while in the mornings to help them settle into an activity. This will make the transition easier. If you can, tell your child exactly what time you will pick them up-and make sure you are there. Like knowing what time your workday will end, daycare will be easier if your child knows exactly what time they will see you again. This gives them a sense of security.
The most important thing you can do for your children is to send them off in a positive manner. If you are upset over your separation, they will be to, whereas if you seem confident that all will be well and you will see them at the end of the day they will pick up on that attitude.
Remember, it's not too uncommon for your child to cry when you leave. Most children settle in within 20-minutes of seeing their parents leave. Simply say good-bye and walk out the door, you will be able to give them hugs and kisses for being so brave when you return to pick them up.
