Guide To Daycare

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Parents faced with choosing a daycare for their child have a wide variety of locations available to them for placement. Sometimes the most difficult choice is whether to go with a private, in-home daycare or a public daycare. There are pros and cons to each option and ultimately only a parent knows the child well enough to make the correct decision.

Private Daycare

Private daycare typically has the advantage of a smaller student-teacher ratio. Normally, a mother who is staying home with her own child will take in more children to care for to supplement the family's income. The benefit is more attention and a closer bond between provider and child. Unfortunately, this can also be detrimental if the provider shows favoritism to her own child.

Most states require the private home daycare to be licensed before any services can be provided. Rigorous checks of food preparation, toy safety and a safe environment are conducted. If a private daycare is an option being considered it is best to make sure that it has a current state-operating license.

Private daycares are usually less expensive than public daycares and have longer, more varied hours. A parent who works the night shift will have an extremely difficult time finding public daycare that is willing to watch a child overnight. Holiday schedules can also be different and more flexible than in a public facility. Check with the potential private daycare provider about their holiday hours.

One challenge of private daycare is the potential for unexpected days when it is closed. Normally, this occurs because the teacher is ill. If the parents' jobs are flexible and willing to allow the employee to take the day off with little to no notice it may not be such a factor. However, if having the daycare suddenly closed would be detrimental to a parent's job, it may be worth considering the public option.

Public Daycare

With a higher student-teacher ratio, public daycares sometimes get put down for not providing enough individualized attention. States mandate the minimum student-teacher ratio from six weeks old through high school and public daycares are required to disclose and follow those guidelines. Although the interaction may not be 1:1, students typically receive the same love and care as in a smaller daycare setting. Parents may actually prefer that there is another adult or teacher's aide in the classroom at all times.

There are some benefits in choosing a public daycare that are not found in most private, in-home daycares. Some of those benefits may include the following: increased socialization with other children, newer toys and equipment, and reliable, set hours. These benefits typically make for a safer, more stable environment.

With the benefits of public daycare comes the major con to this option. Typically, a public daycare is much more expensive than a private home daycare. With weekly full-time tuition in the hundreds of dollars for most well known public daycares, the cost alone can be prohibitive. Although there may be state subsidies available not all families qualify for such credit. It often requires that parents weigh the cost of tuition vs. the cost of working outside the home.

Whatever option parents decide on, the most important thing is that the child is in a safe, loving environment. Whether that environment is found in a private or public daycare is truly a personal choice. Parents should trust their instincts about a daycare and make the decision that is most beneficial for their family.

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Article Source: The Battle - Private Daycare Vs Public Daycare

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Everyone has heard the horror stories of child abuse at the hands of an au pair or other type daycare provider. You don't want your children to become victims. You can take measures to ensure, to the best of your ability, that this doesn't happen.

There are many, many considerations you will need to weigh heavily before you deposit your child in the hands of a stranger.

Below are some issues you'll want to deliberate on when selecting a daycare provider:

* Will you hire someone to come in and watch your children, or will you take your kids to a daycare provider? Regardless, you'll need to make sure that the daycare provider is a U.S. citizen, or that the daycare provider has legal papers to work in the U.S.
* If taking your children to a daycare center or provider, do you want the location to be near where you live or where you work?
* Is it important to you to have your child around a lot of other children or just a few?
* Make a list of your preferences.
* Ask neighbors, friends and family members if they know of a good provider.
* Call Childcare Aware Hotline at (800) 424-2246 to find a local provider network near you. The local provider network will refer you to local registered or licensed daycare providers.
* Once you have decided where you want your daycare provider located (near home or work), decide on three providers to research. Prioritize your list from one to three based on the limited information you have about the providers.

If considering an in-home daycare:

* How old is the daycare provider? Sometimes it works out better for you if the daycare provider is around your own age. You may have more in common and have a better rapport with someone who is closer to your own age.
* Check the ages of the children in the daycare. It is typically a more conducive environment for your child if there are other children your own child's age.

Talk to the daycare provider and obtain the following information:

* At least three references of parents who have used the daycare for over a year.
* Find out if you can you drop by unannounced at anytime. If not, ditch the daycare. If so, visit several times unannounced at different periods over several weeks' time - e.g., during after snack time, during lunch, during naptime. Make sure one of your visits is when parents are dropping off their children, so you can talk to the parents. Ask them why they use the center and how satisfied they are with the care provided.
* Tour the center. Is there a play area outside with play equipment? Is there also a designated play area inside? Is there a separate area for the babies as opposed to the older children? Several baby beds? Is there a separate quiet nap area for the older children? Mats for napping?
* Ask about learning activities for your child's age. Request the weekly agenda of activities and menu for meals. Make sure you visit during one of these events and meals.
* Does your child have any special needs? If so, make sure the provider is able to accommodate them.
* Is the provider licensed? If the state in which you live requires licensing, then do your homework and check with the state to see if the daycare provider is licensed. Also, ask if there are any noted problems with the daycare. There are typically some exceptions to the day care licensing laws - e.g., two or less children 20 hours or less a week, providing care for relatives.
* Is the provider insured? You'll want to ask for a copy of their insurance of certificate, and call their insurance provider to make sure it is currently in force.
* Also, do a search on the Internet for any positive or negative information on the daycare center and its director. It is possible you may find something.
* There are childcare associations that require accountability that you may want to inquire of like the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) or the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC). If your daycare provider is a member, you are fortunate.

You can't cover all the bases. You can, however, do your due diligence to find the most qualified daycare provider possible for your child. Once you've done your part, decide on the daycare provider that meets most, if not all, of your expectations.

It doesn't end there. Remember to drop in unannounced occasionally throughout the timeframe your child is being cared for in the daycare. If you find consistent care, this will ensure your confidence that the daycare provider you chose is the right one. Insidedallasrealestate is a site devoted to the Dallas real estate market. It has a search of the Dallas MLS along with updated market stats on their Dallas real estate blog.

Article Source: How to Find a Good Daycare Provider

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The decision to put your children in to a daycare center can be a tough decision to make. There is always news regarding daycare centers about something horrible that has happened inside. The most important thing to consider when getting a daycare center is to make sure that you will get one that is good and reliable.

Numerous parents believe in a daycare center because they are structured and have a regulated environment. Almost all centers have a designated pick up time and drop off time for your children as well as scheduled tasks that the children must do. This is perfect because children need to have a rigid schedule to follow to grow up well.

Parent's are also hesitant in putting their children into daycare centers because they are afraid of exposing their children into all sorts of sicknesses and illnesses that the other children have. It is a fact that children that are left in daycare centers have more infections than children who stay at home. Fortunately, this will develop their immune system which will in turn result into fewer infections later on in life. People need to be exposed to bacteria so that they will develop immunity towards them, and by exposing them early in life, they will acquire the antigens and the necessary antibodies later on in life. These children will also have a less likelihood to develop allergies when they become older.

Upon sending you children to a daycare center, they will be taught a lot of different skills and abilities like how to tell stories, dance, and sing. The children will spend their everyday in doing projects and learning new and important things. A study conducted quite recently states that kids who attended good child care services did better on exams than kids who did not. If you go searching for a good daycare, then you have to make sure that it has a good combination of activities.

However it will be much more expensive to hire a nanny than to send your child into daycare. And with a nanny, you will also have to rely on only one person so if the nanny gets sick, you will suddenly have to looks for someone to take over. If you opt to decide for a daycare, then you are assured that there will always be people that will look after your children all the time, regardless of who gets sick or what.

Kids also benefit form staying at a daycare facility because they are able to play and spend some time with kids their own age and they will develop socialization skills that they will need later on in life. If you decide on getting a nanny, however, your children will not develop as quickly and as efficiently.

In a good child care center, the staff and workers are most often trained at child education and development. Due to this, the staff should have an idea what to expect and how to take care of the kids properly so when you start looking for a daycare service for you kids, you should make sure that all of their employees are knowledgeable regarding the handling of children.

One of the disadvantages of putting your kid into a child care center is that they will not receive a one is to one care that a nanny can provide. This can be important since babies need constant attention, love and nurturing so that they will grow up well and healthy. This can not be done at a child center because one staff will handle a lot of kids all at the same time. This is a difficult task for them sometimes.

And when you choose a daycare, you will have to look for another arrangement in case the daycare is closed for the holidays. And you will also have to keep your leaves open because you will have to stay at home whenever your child is sick, and remember that your child will more or less be likely to become sick with the cold or the pink eye as opposed to other kids.

A daycare center is a good idea if you were able to pick a good daycare center. A good point to consider would have to be that there should not be a important is that there isn't too many children in the daycare. A baby should have a one is to three babies to caregiver ratio. Children with 25 to 30 months should have one caregiver for every 4 children. For children above 31 months but less than 35, there should be one caregicer for every five children, Three year old children should have a caregiver for every seven that enters and is named that they cause a share of certain in effects while kids between 4 and 5 waits to be a doctor.

Recently, there is no parent that will stay at home for the sake of the kids. That is why the only option left to them is leaving their children to day care centers. It is a tough decision to make but if they need to do so, they must look for a quality daycare enter that will provide your kid the best education that they deserve. There are a lo of choices to choose from among the daycare services because it is no a booming industry. So you need to make sure that the one you choose will be the best suited for you and our kid.

Make a checklist of what you want and what you are expecting for in a daycare. This can help you along the way as you look for that perfect center. You can also ask around from your friends or relatives who have sent their kids to daycare and inspect whether the daycare they offered is a good one.

Choosing the best daycare for your kids can be hard and it is also a scary thought but with time and perseverance, you can give your kid the best childhood they deserve.

Learn How To Start A Daycare Center, visit OwnADaycare.com.

Article Source: Daycare Center Advice For Your Baby and Toddler